This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
South Sudan's fragile peace deal is facing a new challenge as the forced recruitment of child soldiers continues to rise, the head of a United Nations investigating body warned on Monday.
Yasmin Sooka, chair of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said that investigators have observed a reversal in the trend of releasing child soldiers after the 2018 peace accord. Instead, both government and rebel groups are seeking to swell their numbers.
"Ironically, the prospect of a peace deal has accelerated the forced recruitment of children, with various groups now seeking to boost their numbers before they move into the cantonment sites," Sooka told the UN Human Rights Council.
According to Sooka, investigators have found that in many hotspots, the number of child soldiers is increasing. Some of these children, including girls, are being forced to provide sexual and labour services to the fighters.
South Sudan split away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war, but plunged into its own conflict at the end of 2013. A civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people ended in 2018, with both sides agreeing to form a national army.
However, the implementation of the peace deal has been slow, and Sooka remains concerned about a possible revival of the broader conflict. She pointed out that localised flare-ups, often driven by ethnic tensions, are still common in the country.
"I think in a country where the state doesn't have control of vast parts of the region if this thing (localised violence) doesn't go down...you have the potential to see fighting breaking out in so many parts of the country," Sooka said.
South Sudan Ambassador Akech Chol Ahou Ayok responded to the allegations by stating that his government is committed to the peace process and that the recent meeting between opposing sides is a positive step.
