A young girl has made an impassioned plea for peace, amid rising concerns about the situation of children in South Sudan.

Joana John Edward, spoke to Radio Miraya’ Breakfast show, and described how the gunshots and the site of soldiers scared her and sent her into a state of fear.

“It was terrible, they stopped us, ordered us to sit down and took the money and a phone that I had to communicate with my mum, said Joana adding that “it was terrible, gunshots were flying over our heads, I was lying down and I was crying because I thought this is my last day, I am going to die.”

Joana is just one of the thousands of children that were caught up in crossfire during six days of clashes that broke out in July, between rival forces of President Salva Kiir and First Vice President, Riak Machar.

Joana says the fighting in Juba that left more than 270 people dead in the capital, Juba, robbed her of her childhood hopes and dreams.

“I can’t go to school, I can’t live as a free child, I have to stay at home, I can’t do anything that can help me to see my future,” said Joana amid sobs.

Joana asked South Sudan’s leaders to stop the war, so children can write a history that will make the future generations proud of their leaders.

“We the children of South Sudan don’t want to regret having them as leaders, but we want to be proud of having them as our leaders, we want to write a history that will make the next generation proud of our leaders,”  said Joana with an audibly heavy heart.

Sadly, Joana has become a statistic and a number on the list of child refugees that fled the country at the height of the conflict. She is now staying in Uganda and her studies have been suspended,  due to the uncertainties that surround the status of her family in Uganda.

“I dreamt of doing so many things to this nation when I grow up but when I see this I just surrender because I can’t go to school and I can’t do anything, this war is really affecting us because it’s as if we don’t have a future.”

“Please and please stop the war,” Joana cried out to the leaders.

A month and a half after the fighting in Juba, Miraya Breakfast show spoke to Joana again,  this time from the refugee center hosting her in Uganda. She described how the absence of gunshots made her feel secure, but added again that her hopes for education hang in the balance.

“My mother can only afford money to buy food for the family and nothing more, I would be happy if someone came to my aid and gave me an opportunity to study.” Joana recalled “I never wanted to live my country but what can I do, I had no choice.” Joana however hopes that she can one day return to a peaceful South Sudan.

“I want South Sudan to become the most peaceful country in Africa and the whole world; I want to return to a South Sudan where you sleep the whole night outside without fear, where people love and understand one another, I want to return to a peaceful South Sudan.

Joana’s story resonates with a new report released this week by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, highlighting the devastating impact of increasingly complex conflicts on children.

According to the report released on Tuesday, Zerrougui said “the impact on children of the collective failure to prevent and end conflict is severe, with regions in turmoil and violations against children intensifying in a number of conflicts.”

She noted that following a year during which children were victims of brutal violations, hopes for improvement all but evaporated with the resumption of conflict last month In South Sudan.