South Sudan's government has recruited hundreds of child soldiers in Bentiu town in Unity State from September until October to prepare for a renewed conflict, a spokesperson for the SPLA-IO said.

SPLA-IO spokesman in Unity State James Yoach told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that government troops have so far coerced over 200 children to join their ranks in Koch area when they were going to the UN camp in Bentiu town.

 “Since the past two months and up to now, more than 200 children aged between 14 and 15 years old have been forcibly recruited into the government forces in Bentiu,”said Yoach.

For his part, Lul Ruai Koang, spokesman of the SPLA army, outright denied the claims of child recruitment when contacted by Radio Tamazuj yesterday.

Lul claimed that the government army is well-organized and that it is capable of defending the people of South Sudan, saying they will not recruit children forcibly to join the army.

 “SPLA is a government force and when we announce recruitment opportunities, people will come and join the army and the government will pay them, so this is not forcible recruitment,” he said.

“Those who forcibly recruit people are those who do not have the ability, but the government is capable, “he added.

In October, UNICEF announced that around 16,000 child soldiers have been recruited since civil war began in December 2013.