FILE: Newly released child soldiers wait in a line for their registration during the release ceremony in Yambio, South Sudan - courtesy

A 21-year-old former child soldier has called for an end to forced recruitment of children to armed forces saying the vice has denied many children access to education in South Sudan.

Allan Kudumoch’s appeal comes as the country commemorates the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers.

He recounted the difficult moments he and some of his colleagues went through after being recruited as child soldiers in Pibor Administrative Area.

While in the jungle infested with mosquitoes, Kudumoch and his colleagues remembered walking long distances with overweight guns– feeding on wild fruits and spending most nights awake.

According to him, they had cooked and fetched water for soldiers in the terrifying bushes.

“I was forcibly taken away from our house into the bush to later get a sense of the evil that would befall me. This was just beginning of my encounter with adversity in the bush, together with other children, we went through various abuses,” he narrated.

Kumudoch said he recalls going four many days without, spending sleepless nights and singing at parades and carrying heavy firearms.

“The nights were so long and terrifying in the bush. I spent most of the night fighting off mosquitoes and trying to stay warm. When I woke up, I had white, salty residue on my face as a result of hours of crying.”

Kudumoch was among the 3,000 child soldiers who were released in early 2015 after restoration of peace in Greater Pibor Administrative area.

The children, aged 11 to 17, were underage members of David Yau Yau’s Cobra Faction, a militia which signed a peace deal with the Juba government last year after waging an armed rebellion.

With support from the UN children agency, UNICEF Kudumoch enrolled in school and completed his secondary school in 2024.

But he said the past keeps haunting him.

“The war stole my childhood and left me orphan and homeless. Being a child soldier left me with the scars and burdens, that may last forever. My prayer is that no child should ever have to go through this situation.”

“Let all of us in this program allow children to be children, be in schools and happy homes. Not in the battlefields.  Children must not be recruit into soldiers at early age. So, as a situation of being a child soldier, it is so worse as I have come across.”

“So, let’s take this result to the community. Our children should not be allowed to be as soldiers or armed forces. So, I just beg my government to support us in this way.”

Red Hand Day, or the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, has been observed on February 12 annually since 2002.

South Sudan this year delayed the commemoration of the event under unclear reasons.

The campaign is dedicated to ending the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

Speaking at an event in Juba, Ester Ikere Eluzai, the Undersecretary Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, called on stakeholders to renew commitment to protect children against recruitment into the armed forces.

“The integration of former child soldiers is a priority. These children need our care, our compassion, and our unwavering support. They need access to education, health care, psychological support, and economic opportunities.”

“We must ensure they are given a chance to heal, to rebuild their lives, and to become productive members of the society. We recognize that their integration process is not always easy. It requires a holistic approach that addresses the specific needs of child of each side and their family.”

“Today, I call upon all stakeholders, the government of the Republic of South Sudan, the international community, civil society organizations, religious leaders, community elders, and every citizen of South Sudan to renew our commitment to protect our children. Let us work together to prevent the recruitment and the use of children.”

In a Joint Statement on International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers 2025, the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Belén Martínez Carbonell said during armed conflicts, children are the primary victims although they do not start the war.

The statement said over 473 million children live in conflict zones from Myanmar to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti to Sudan, Ukraine to the Sahel region.

In response, Lt. Gen. Ashab Khamis Fahal, Assistant CDF for Moral Orientation, assured the gathering in that army is exerting efforts against the use of child soldiers in the country.

“As SSPDF, we are committed to the implementation of the Comprehensive Action Plan. And we have done our part by disseminating the information to the lower level, especially the commanders in charge of the forces, that it is their responsibility to make sure that there is no any form of child recruitment among the forces.”

“So, they have to make sure that children are not recruited. This is what we have done, and we have been working together. We have been working together with the DDR, with the Ministry of Gender, with the Child Protection in UNMISS, UNICEF, and our Child Protection at the SSPDF, we have been working all together.”

For her part, Ms. Anita Kiki, Deputy Special Representative in the UN Mission in South Sudan commended the key South Sudanese stakeholders for release of 63 child soldiers last year alone.

“As the UN, we applaud the South Sudan National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, NDDRC, the National State Technical Committees, and other partners together with the Country Task Force.”

“Your efforts last year led to the release of 63 children, 55 boys and eight girls. by armed forces and groups. This is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together.”