The United States has threatened to sanction individuals involved in the recruitment of child soldiers after a UNICEF report implicated government officials in the practice.
US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said that the US is “profoundly alarmed” at the UNICEF report, which says that government and opposition forces continued recruiting after the July 7th violence in the capital of Juba.
“The continued unlawful recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in South Sudan is unacceptable. Eliminating the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers for armed groups in South Sudan is a leading priority of the United States,” Kirby said in a statement.
According to UNICEF, at least 650 children have been recruited into armed groups this year alone, and around 16,000 have been recruited since South Sudan’s civil war began in December 2013.