BOR – At least eight underage children who are part of a larger group of 23 youths that escaped alleged military conscription by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), have been handed over to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Jonglei State for protection and family reunification.
The children were among 23 youths who earlier this month fled the Gala-chel military training centre, where they had reportedly been taken by the SSPDF, before making their way to Nyirol County in Jonglei State.
The handover took place on Wednesday in Lankien town, following an age verification exercise conducted by the UN Child Protection Unit with support from UNICEF.
The assessment confirmed that eight of the 23 youths were below the age of 18 and therefore qualified for transfer to child protection agencies.
Speaking to Sudans Post by phone, Jonglei State Minister for Gender, Child and Social Welfare William Kuol Chuol said the eight children represent only a fraction of those who escaped from the training facility.
“These eight are part of the 23 youths who ran away from the Gala-chel training camp,” Kuol said. “UNMISS and UNICEF assessed all of them and confirmed that only eight were under 18 years old. Those eight will be taken to Juba on Friday for reunification with their parents.”
Kuol explained that the group had initially fled an SSPDF training base in Gelachiel, Upper Nile State, before crossing into Jonglei and reporting themselves to the authorities of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) in Nyirol County.
After screening by human rights and child protection actors, the remaining 16 youths were found to be above the age of 18 and therefore not eligible for handover to child protection agencies.
“The Human Rights Division said those above 18 years are not under their mandate,” Kuol said. “Their case will now be handled by the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission in Juba, which will decide whether they will be transferred to Juba or remain in Nyirol.”
Child protection actors say the handover of the eight children is in line with commitments by parties to South Sudan’s conflict to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and armed groups.
They stress that such transfers are critical steps toward ensuring the safety of children affected by conflict and supporting their reintegration into civilian life through family reunification and psychosocial support.
South Sudan remains one of the countries most affected by conflict-related child recruitment, despite repeated pledges by both state and non-state armed actors to respect child protection laws and international humanitarian standards.
