Juba, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – A civil society activist has called on the Police Authority to clarify the status of youth arrested during recent operations in Juba. This demand comes amid growing concerns about allegations of forced recruitment and extortion.

Earlier this week, the South Sudan National Police Service launched a major crackdown targeting youth gangs in Juba.

According to police, the operation aims to curb rising criminal activity reportedly linked to organized youth groups operating across the capital.

Major General James Monday Enoka, the spokesperson of the national police service, also dismissed social media reports that some suspected teenage gang groups detained in the ongoing crackdown have been sent to the frontline in Upper Nile.

He told Eye Radio, in an exclusive interview on Sunday, July 6, said the widely circulated social media reports about the alleged deployment of gang members arrested last week were false.

Allegations of Wrongful Arrests and Extortion

Speaking to Eye Radio this morning, Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), reported that families claim police wrongfully rounded up their children during these anti-gang crackdowns.

Families report limited access to their arrested children and, in some cases, allege demands for money to secure their release.

“I want to bring to your attention information that we are getting as an NGOs organization from families that were getting calls that some of their children were rounded up with the gang group, and they don’t belong to the gang group,” Yakani stated.

“They are found sitting in a group, and they are rounded up, they are taken, and it’s very hard to access some of these children, and some of them, if they don’t access them, there’s a demand for money.”

“I don’t know whether that is true or not. I wish that officials from the police could speak to that to ensure that nobody is getting money from any parent when parents want to access their children, and parents should have access to their children.”

Concerns Over Forced Recruitment and Transfers

Yakani further raised alarm over unverified reports circulating on social media suggesting some arrested youth may have been airlifted to conflict-affected areas such as Nasir.

He questioned whether these transfers were for trial, detention, or recruitment purposes, emphasizing the urgent need for transparency and parental access.

“I want to bring to your attention the South Sudan police service that we’re getting, and I think maybe also equal to is a rumour is that some of these children have found themselves being airlifted out of Juba to other locations and mostly on social media.”

“People are saying they’ve been airlifted to Nasir. Then the question comes, what is it there for? Where are the courts that are going to hold the trial? Or are they being recruited? And a lot of information is going around about missing children or the forced recruitment of children.”

“I would like to bring to your attention that nobody takes advantage of the police action towards cracking down on the gang youth groups. So, we wish to hear from the police spokesperson, but also, this forceful recruitment and picking of youth on the streets needs to be properly managed.”

“Verification needs to be done there. And parents who want to follow up their children who are students who might by mistake been rounded up should have access to their children and clear them. But otherwise, we appreciate the police role in cracking down on the criminal gang youth groups.”

Call for Transparency and Child Protection Commitments

The CEPO director called for essential verification processes to distinguish innocent youth from actual offenders.

Yakani also reminded South Sudan’s defense and security leaders of the country’s national and international commitments to protect children from involvement in armed conflict.

He stressed the importance of adhering to the National Action Plan that prohibits the recruitment of children into armed forces or groups.

“One of the biggest things I want to bring to the attention of our leaders in the defence security sector, our country has committed itself to principles where we don’t want to see our children in the fighting forces,” Yakani concluded.

“There’s a national action plan with a comprehensive commitment to ensure children are protected from being associated with armed conflict.”

“So, recruitment of children into armed forces is something that our government under the leadership of his Execellency, the President have committed themselves that no children will be enrolled into armed groups and this also apply to the opposition and to go with this is not recruit program in the side because we have national action plan for that.”