Child Soldiers To End In South Sudan
One of the more wretched visual images in the world will end later this year, if one can believe the reports coming from Sudan. Child soldiers will no longer we used for military purposes. That we consider this progress in 2010 speaks volumes about where some parts of the world still reside. To see small boys carrying weapons that nearly equal their size, or speak about warfare and killing as if they were seasoned old veterans remains an image that will linger long after these kids no longer are part of the military. The fact remains even afterwards they will never get back what they lost. A childhood.
The army in Southern Sudan has pledged to demobilise all child soldiers by the end of the year.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has established a child protection unit to fulfil the pledge. The UN children’s agency estimates that the SPLA, thought to have already discharged more than 20,000 children, still includes about 900 in its ranks.
South Sudan, which fought a long civil war against the north, is to hold an independence referendum in January.Sudan’s civil war ended with a peace agreement in 2005, which committed both sides to an extensive process of demobilisation. But tensions have remained high in the run up to the referendum.
