HRW names those conscripting children into army

The Human Rights Watch has named 15 commanders it says are recruiting child soldiers for both the SPLA and the SPLM in Opposition forces.

They include Matthew Puljang from the government. From the opposition forces, they named Johnson Olony, James Koang, Peter Gadet, and Makal Kuol.

The names have been listed in a report titled; “We Can Die Too: Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in South Sudan.”

The rights group says the report is based on interviews with 101 child soldiers who were either forcibly recruited or joined forces to protect themselves and their communities.

The group says the children lived for months without enough food, and were thrown into terrifying gun battles in which they were injured and saw friends killed.

It also says the children also expressed deep regret that they had lost time they should have spent in school.

“Commanders have deliberately and brutally recruited and used children to fight, in total disregard for their safety and South Sudan’s law,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“South Sudan authorities should call a halt to the massive recruitment and use of children in this conflict, which deepens the decades-old patterns of abuse.”

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF estimates that 15,000 to 16,000 children may have been used by armed forces and groups in the conflict.

The Human Rights Watch says South Sudan had made significant headway in ending the use of child soldiers before the conflict began.