In Jonglei, 30 SPLA officers and 10 other participants from line state ministries and organized armed forces attended a two- day child protection workshop in Bor, raising their awareness about the rights of children.

Delivering his closing remarks, the local SPLA Director of Operations, Brigadier General Abraham Machar Thiong, said the army is committed to protecting children from recruitment and other forms of abuse and urged all parties involved to work together to ensure South Sudan is removed from the list of armies recruiting child soldiers. 

“The Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs need to work with the SPLA, the DDR commission and UNMISS to ensure that South Sudan is delisted from the list of armies recruiting child soldiers,” Mr. Thiong said.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the workshop, the acting UNMISS Head of Field Office and Civil Affairs Team Leader in Bor, Pierre Ubalijoro, called on the SPLA and other organized armed forces to revive efforts towards preventing the recruitment of child soldiers. He added that all armed forces need to ensure the release of children associated with them.

The two-day workshop organized by the UNMISS Child Protection Section and facilitated by other substantive sections in partnership with UNICEF follows a commitment made by the Government of South Sudan in 2014 to end the recruitment of children into the armed forces.