YAMBIO – The small village of Rimenze is a place where lush landscapes hide memories of brutal conflict.
Today, those memories are slowly giving way to hope for 22 children formerly associated with armed groups in Western Equatoria who are taking their first steps toward reclaiming their childhoods.
Their journey begins with overcoming the experiences they lived through. Having been forced to participate in a conflict in which they never wanted to fight, their new-found freedom also carries the weight of the trauma they suffered.
“All I need is psychological support and be supported to enroll in a vocational school. I want to study driving and simple mechanics to help me and my family,” shared one of those affected, a 17-year-old girl who has lived through worse than most people could imagine.
The safety they are provided with at a temporary safe house in Yambio right now originated in community leaders being able to identify them a few weeks ago.
As soon as they noticed that children, some of them not older than 14, were marching with armed forces, they reached out to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and humanitarian agencies for support.
“After carefully reviewing each case as soon as we were informed about their potential abductions, we immediately initiated the release process. Still, they have a long healing journey in front of them, but we remain present and ready to provide any assistance needed,” ensured UNMISS Child Protection Officer Rita Bampo.
UNMISS’ Child Protection Unit led the engagement and advocacy with the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, traditional leaders and state government to conduct the joint verification mission to identify and secure the release of the children, including two girls.
They have now been handed over to the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Committee and UNICEF who will help reintegrate them into communities.
“It is thanks to the vigilance and swift action of the community leaders that we were able to free these children. We don’t want any child to be in an armed group,” emphasized John Zebruna Gasi, Director General at the Western Equatoria State Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare.
“Now it is up to us to these children get all the care they need and get enrolled in school to prepare for their new futures.”
His commitment is shared by Ben Paulino, chief of Rimenze village:
“These children were taken to fight in a conflict they didn’t have anything to do with,” he explains. “Now they have been taken here to overcome their trauma and finally be free again. As we are getting older, we need them not to be forced to fight but to peacefully build their futures.”
That process has already started. With support from local and international partners, they have received learning material allowing them to shift their focus from past to present.
In two weeks, they will be brought back to their families.
Eagerly awaiting their reunions, they are receiving psychosocial support to help them return safely to the lives they thought they lost.
By Okot Emmanuel
