(UPPER NILE STATE, BALIET COUNTY) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) has handed over 17 young men, including several teenagers, to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for their return to families in Juba.
According to SPLM-IO officials, the group fled to opposition-controlled territory in Upper Nile State after allegedly being forcibly recruited into the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) by government forces. The alleged recruitment followed a mass arrest in Juba in June, when security forces rounded up youths accused of involvement in a violent gang rape incident in the Shirkat area.
Witness accounts indicate the group was flown from Juba to Malakal and later taken to Gel-achel in Baliet County. There, they were reportedly subjected to military training. SPLM-IO later released a video on social media showing the group and accusing the government of recruiting children into the army — a practice outlawed under South Sudanese law and international conventions.
Opposition officials said their decision to hand over the group to UNMISS was aimed at ensuring the youths’ safe return to their families. UNMISS has confirmed it will facilitate their repatriation to Juba.