September 8th 2018 (Nyamilepedia)Â – A United Nations diplomat has urged the South Sudan government to address six grave human rights violations committed in the country since the eruption of the ongoing conflict.
Virginia Gamba, the United Nations Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict called on the South Sudan government to develop comprehensive plans to address six human rights violations in the country to protect over 14,000 children in the country.
Her call came shortly after concluding her four-day visit to South Sudan in which she stressed that the United Nations is ready to provide technical assistance and work in collaboration with the relevant authorities to ensure that joint development and implementation of this plan are done as required.
“The UN stands ready to support the development and implementation of such concrete actions, including through the joint development of a comprehensive Action Plan covering all six grave violations and the provision of technical assistance for implementation as required,” she said.
The top UN diplomat noted the suffering and violence witnessed by children in the war-affected regions of South Sudan.
“My discussions with the authorities led me to believe that the time is ripe to work with the Government and revise the existing Action Plans so as to develop a comprehensive plan addressing all six grave violations endured by the children of South Sudan,” she said.
On her visit to Yambio, the SRSG was moved by the recent release of child soldiers from armed forces and urges the international community to lend a helping hand and provide necessary assistance to these children in a sustainable manner.
“In Yambio, I met children recently released and was moved by their stories, which unfortunately are not unique. It is crucial that each and every boy and girl released benefit from reintegration programmes and the international community must take a strong step and support these children and their communities in a sustainable and comprehensive manner,” she added.
Further, the SRSG commended the contribution of civil society, faith-based organizations and humanitarian workers,
for their relentless support and stressed that protection of children from being abused by South Sudan armed forces is imperative because these children are the future of this country.
“I want to thank the admirable work that UNMISS, UNICEF, NGOs and partners have undertaken and I encourage them to continue with this essential work,” she further added. “No time must be lost in protecting the children of South Sudan from being used and abused in, for and by armed conflict. They are not only the future of South Sudan, but also its present.” she concluded.
