Photo: UNICEF

Progress

• Decrease in grave violations and cooperation of parties to conflict with the United Nations, including joint efforts with the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (NDDRC) resulting in the release of 44 children in 2020;
• Signature on 7 February 2020 of the comprehensive action plan to end and prevent all grave violations by parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, and the establishment of national and state-level committees.

Challenges

• Parties continue to perpetrate grave violations against children, including Government security forces;
• Escalating intercommunal violence and concerns over the increase in violations by NAS.

Recommendations

• Government to remedy the prevalent impunity for grave violations and hold perpetrators accountable;
• Government to endorse the Paris Principles and the Vancouver Principles and submit its initial report on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict;
• Government and other parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law;
• Government to implement the action plan;
• NDDRC to engage with NAS to ensure the demobilization and reintegration of associated children, with the need for child-sensitive DDR and demining processes;
• To continue supporting programs for the reintegration of released children.