11 August 2014 - Numerous children had been intentionally killed, abducted or recruited to fight in the South Sudan conflict, African Union experts recently said.

The current conflict as “nothing less than a war on children of South Sudan”, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) said in a statement at the end of a seven-day visit to the country on 8 August.

“We have received numerous reports of children -- even babies – being wantonly killed,” the Committee said. “One report estimates that 490 killed children were identified in the many mass graves in and around Bor.”

Some 12 children in the Bor Protection of Civilians (POC) area had been randomly mowed down by marauders, the youngest a mere 3 months old, as recently as 18 April, it added.

“It is not that these deaths are accidental or unfortunate by-products,” the statement said. “We are reliably informed that children are being targeted, deliberately.”

The Committee had heard evidence that the impact of conflict over the last eight months upon children was greater than in the entire 21-year period during which the (civil) war was ongoing.

It noted that killings had left uncounted numbers of orphans, who had to take to the streets, and child-headed households.

So far, FTR (family tracking and reunification) had yielded limited results, the statement said. “One of the reasons for this is the huge displacement of peoples, including children with or without their families, that has occurred and continues to occur.”

It is estimated that more than 1.5 million people have been displaced by the South Sudan conflict, internally and across borders.

Also of mounting concern was escalating recruitment of children into forces associated with the armed conflict, including girls, according to the ACERWC. “The association of children with armed forces and groups is openly visible to all we have spoken to, including here in Juba.”

The Committee also pointed to the violent abduction of children, and confirmed incidents of rape of both girls and boys.

“The Committee was advised of the high level of sexual violence being experienced, amongst others, in our visit to (Juba) Tomping POC,” it said. “We understand that perpetrators are escaping with impunity.”

The statement noted that more than 900 children had been abducted in Jonglei State alone since December 2013.

It also observed that some 50,000 infants and young children faced imminent death due to malnutrition. The situation was complicated by the onset of the rainy season, the conflict generally, and diminished access of humanitarian aid to conflict sites.

The situation of IDPs in the PoCs was far from adequate, with concomitant risks to children’s health and wellbeing, the statement said. “The word most used to describe the physical environment that we heard this week is: ‘horrible’.”