Authorities in South Sudan's Upper Nile State have imposed new movement controls on relief organizations (NGOs), following revelations by the child welfare agency UNICEF that scores of child soldiers were forcibly recruited in the state.

According to the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission Office in the state, aid workers for UN agencies, international organizations or national organizations must obtain pass permits before making any movements in the state, detailing their plans and disclosing all passengers.

The government regulatory body has introduced a new pass permit form requiring detailed information including names of all passengers, mode of transportation (e.g. vehicle or boat), nationalities of passengers, job titles, cargo, duration of trip, intended destination and purpose.

The new restrictions were introduced last week, 23 February, the first business day after UNICEF announced on Saturday, 21 February, that at least 89 children were abducted while doing their exams in Wau Shilluk, a village downriver from the state capital.

File photo: Upper Nile Governor Simon Kun Puoch

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