In South Sudan, as in many parts of the world engulfed in conflict, youth are growing up in communities that have been torn apart by war. The film The Good Lie, which tells the story of the lost boys and girls of Sudan, vividly portrays their struggles during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). Throughout the war, children were actively conscripted, both voluntarily and by force, into the national army and other armed groups. That legacy of recruiting child soldiers has continued into today's conflict in South Sudan.
South Sudan's independence in July 2011 was celebrated as the start of a new era - one of freedom, development, and opportunity. In the eight years that followed the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, the number of child soldiers steadily declined. According to UNICEF, by late 2012, approximately 4,000 children had returned home. South Sudan has a young population -- 72 percent under the age of 30 by World Bank estimates -- and many have struggled with few opportunities for education or employment since independence. With the onset of renewed violence in December 2013, the conscription of child soldiers on once again on the rise. The United Nations estimates there are at least 9,000 child soldiers fighting in the current conflict.
The United Nations also estimates that there have been at least 50 targeted attacks on schools and over 6,000 children have gone missing since December. When opposition forces attacked Bentiu in January 2014, a group of armed men stormed into a ...
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