Child rights agency UNICEF says Johnson Olony, a general fighting under President Salva Kiir, abducted 'hundreds' of boys in the Upper Nile village of Wau Shilluk two weeks ago and was planning to send them to the Kaka frontlines.

"UNICEF is confident that the armed group which took the children was a Shilluk Militia under the control of Johnson Olony," a press release from the organization read. "This militia is aligned with the Government’s SPLA forces."

UNICEF first reported a mass abduction of at least 89 boys at Wau Shilluk on 21 February, days after the recruitment took place on 15 and 16 February, "but the organization now believes the number of children may be in the hundreds."

The agency said that based on its investigations so far "a strong picture emerged that the children may have been about to be dispatched to fight at Kaka, about forty five minutes north of Melut by boat," near where there have been intense clashes over recent weeks.

“We fear they are going from the classroom to the front line,” said UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch.

The boys remain in military custody, UNICEF said.

"From reports received so far it is becoming clear the children are not together in a single group. UNICEF understands some of the children - including some of the school boys - were allowed back into their village to eat with their parents and in some instances some children were allowed to go to school. They were then taken away again at night."

UNICEF continued: "In discussions with the SPLA in Melut it was confirmed the forced recruitment of the children took place and many of the children were being sent to Melut. Witnesses also stated many children have been seen in a training camp near Wau Shilluk and that in Melut children as young as 12 years old were seen carrying guns but not in uniform."

Over 1000 people, including men and boys, were abducted in the forced recruitment exercise in Wau Shilluk, according to a humanitarian report published last night.

UNICEF's announcement today comes as President Salva Kiir, who is Commander in Chief of the SPLA-Juba faction to which Olony belongs, has yet to publicly comment on the matter, though Radio Tamazuj is informed that he summoned the general to Juba nearly a week ago over the abduction accusations.

SPLA-Juba leaders and spokespersons have also not made public comment so far. Olony's second in command, Brigadier James Bugo, speaking to Radio Tamazuj yesterday by phone, denied the claims by UNICEF that children have been abducted and recruited into the army in their area of operations.

He said the organization is not telling the truth while acknowledging that their forces have recently carried out searches in the Wau Shilluk area. He said these searches aimed only to find soldiers who had deserted their units.

In its press release, UNICEF added that the SPLA-Juba informed them that "the Johnson Olony militia was outside its control."

On the other hand, last week the Upper Nile State government spokesman Gatluak Liphos told Radio Tamazuj there was no such thing as "Olony's forces," insisting they were part of the government army.

Related:

UN refuses to name abductors of 1000+ men and children in South Sudan (27 Feb.)

UN kept silent on mass child abduction for nearly a week (25 Feb.)

Militia accused of child abductions 'is part of S. Sudan army' (24 Feb.)

89+ abducted schoolboys with South Sudan militia nearly a week already (21 Feb.)

SPLA-Juba abducting children near UN base in Malakal (16 Feb.)

File photo: General Johnson Olony in Juba