Child Soldiers Face Challenges with Recruitment and Reintegration in South Sudan

This year marked two important anniversaries in the fight to protect children impacted by war and violence – the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and 20 years since the United Nations Security Council first passed Resolution 1261 on children and armed conflict.

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Civil War in South Sudan Threatens Genocide

The civil war began three years ago when the nation’s President, Salva Kiir, accused his deputy minister, Reik Machar, of plotting a coup against him. Armed factions took to the streets to beat Machar into submission. On November 11th, the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Adam Dieng, alerted that the Sudanese media helped militias target civilians along ethnic lines. Social media sites prevalent throughout the world served as vehicles for the transmission of the media’s hate speech, thus furthering the polarization and radicalization of South Sudan’s citizenry. The ouster of Machar in July only reignited the violence.

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UN Security Council Visits South Sudan After Approval of Regional Protection Force

Although the Security Council delegation’s arrival offered a glimmer of hope for a struggling nation in its infancy, its departure has led to increased government intimidation among civil society groups, with some even fleeing the country.

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