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SOUTH SUDAN / CHILD SOLDIERS
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / CHILD SOLDIERS
TRT: 3:12
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
DATELINE: 2 OCTOBER 2013, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
20 SEPTEMBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, training room
2 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
2. Various shot, SPLA Officers (Day 3 – 02/10/2013)
20 SEPTEMBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
3. Close-up, SPLA Officer
4. Wide shot, SPLA officers
5. Close-up, SPLA Officer
1 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
6. Med shot, SPLA Officer writing
2 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
7. Med shot, SPLA General
20 SEPTEMBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Chol Thon Balok - Deputy Chief of Staff for Moral Orientation SPLA:
"I can understand that people work hard to remove these kids, these children from the army and we will continue working, whenever they come. We can even work to remove them from the Army. So that they go to schools. For them to go to schools or to do other things, is for the benefit of South Sudan."
9. Wide shot, back of Training room
10. Close-up, General Order slide
11. Close-up, Paris Principles slide
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel M. Lizzul, Military Justice Advisor, USIS TAT:
"I think the vast majority desperately want a child free SPLA. They desperately want their name, their honor, SPLA that they are very proud of being a part of off of the Secretary General's list of shame."
13. Wide shot, back of training room and soldier speaking
14. Med shot, Instructor and Projector screen
1 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
15. Med shot, female Instructor
20 SEPTEMBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigadier General Chaplain Khamis Edward-Head of the SPLA Child Protection Unit:
"We are now a National Army. A National Army can be taken somewhere to participate in the Humanitarian issues in certain countries. So if we are still mixing our soldiers with the children we will not be organized as a professional army. So I'm urging our people actually. Those that are listening. Let them take this to be the last, the last, the last moment we don't want to hear anything about children associated with the Armed Forces, schools being occupied by the SPLA."
2 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
18. Wide shot, Training room and Soldier interacting with Instructor
20 SEPTEMBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
19. Close-up, SPLA Soldier listening
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Cephus Diggs, Child Protection Officer UNMISS:
"There have been an Action Plan signed between the United Nations and the SPLA on releasing children and there are a number of progress but we also recognize that there are also challenges, and based on some of the challenges there was a General Order. A Punitive Order released by Lieutenant General Hoff Mai. The General Chief of Staff SPLA on 14th August 2013 that as of today’s date, the 30th of September, no school or children should be recruited."
1 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
21. Med shot, Back shot, Female Instructor and Projector Screen
2 OCTOBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
22. Close-up, Achievements slide
20 SEPTEMBER 2013, SOUTH SUDAN
23. Wide shot, Participants and Officials from UNMISS, UNICEF and the SPLA
Following the expiration of a grace period for proper reporting of children associated with the army, South Sudan will investigate and take punitive action on all incidents of child recruitment, child use or school occupation by armed forces, after September 30th, 2013.
Speaking in Juba at a workshop aimed at building capacity and training Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) officers on the army's resolve to remove the children within its ranks, General Chol Balok said the military will continue working to achieve this.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Chol Thon Balok, Deputy Chief of Staff for Moral Orientation SPLA:
"I can understand that people work hard to remove these kids, these children from the army and we will continue working, whenever they come. We can even work to remove them from the Army. So that they go to schools. For them to go to schools or to do other things, is for the benefit of South Sudan."
SPLA child protection officers, legal advisors and judge advocates attending a three-day workshop, which aims to implement an order signed by Gen. James Hoth Mai, Army Chief of General Staff, on 14 August were warned of punitive consequences.
The punitive order declared that “children shall not be recruited into the SPLA or used by or within the SPLA in any capacity for any purpose and SPLA units and/or soldiers will not under any circumstances attack, occupy or use for any purpose schools or school buildings or property.”
The order, which followed a 13 March extension by one year of the Revised Action Plan signed by the United Nations and the SPLA on 13 March 2012, gave a grace period of one and a half month for voluntary reporting and initiation of reintegration of children without penalty.
This grace period according to the order terminates on 30 September 2013, after which time all incidents shall be investigated with a view to severe judicial and administrative action. These prohibitions are without exception and are unconditional.
Military Justice Advisor, Daniel M. Lizzul who has been embedded with the SPLA for the past two and a half years speaking at the workshop said many within the ranks would not want to be on the list of shame.
SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel M. Lizzul, Military Justice Advisor, USIS TAT:
"I think the vast majority desperately want a child free SPLA. They desperately want their name, their honor, SPLA that they are very proud of being a part of off of the Secretary General's list of shame."
Brigadier General Chaplain Khamis said that although it was clear that SPLA was no longer recruiting children into its ranks, there were still individual soldiers who were bringing children into the barracks. He also urged all army commanders with forces still occupying schools to evacuate them immediately.
SOUNDBITE (English) Brigadier General Chaplain Khamis Edward-Head of the SPLA Child Protection Unit:
"We are now a National Army. A National Army can be taken somewhere to participate in the Humanitarian issues in certain countries. So if we are still mixing our soldiers with the children we will not be organized as a professional army. So I'm urging our people actually. Those that are listening, let them take this to be the last, the last, the last moment we don't want to hear anything about children associated with the Armed Forces, schools being occupied by the SPLA."
Speaking on behalf of UNMISS and UNICEF, UNMISS Child Protection Officer Cephus Diggs spoke of the progress and challenges of the zero tolerance of children in the army.
SOUNDBITE (English) Cephus Diggs, Child Protection Officer UNMISS:
"There have been an Action Plan signed between the United Nations and the SPLA on releasing children and there are a number of progress but we also recognize that there are also challenges, and based on some of the challenges there was a General Order. A Punitive Order released by Lieutenant General Hoff Mai. The General Chief of Staff SPLA on 14th August 2013 that as of today’s date, the 30th of September, no school or children should be recruited.”
On March 12th 2012, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army of South Sudan (SPLA) signed an Action Plan with the United Nations, renewing their commitment to release all children within their ranks. This action plan, signed by the Ministry of Defence, the United Nations Peacekeeping in South Sudan (UNMISS), UNICEF, and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, also ensured that all militias who would be incorporated into the SPLA were child-free.
Since 2005, the SPLA had been listed on the United Nations Secretary-General’s list of parties to conflict as recruiting and using children within their ranks. Although this action plan was a renewal of commitments made in 2009, the SPLA, as a national army, is signing for the first time on March 12th 2012.
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