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Photo Essay: Support in South Sudan

Josh Boyter - December 10, 2015

A videographer and photographer from UNICEF South Sudan captures LGen Dallaire and Dr. Whitman interviewing a former child soldier at Confident Children Out of Conflict (CCC) in Juba, South Sudan.

Dr. Whitman addresses RwanBatt II inside the UNMISS compound in Juba, South Sudan. The Rwandan Battalion of peacekeepers predominantly operates in the southern portion of South Sudan, which has witnessed increased unrest and fighting in recent months.

The commander of the RwanBatt II contingent in South Sudan gives the opening remarks of his briefing for the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative in Juba, South Sudan.

LGen Dallaire takes a look out of the window out of the helicopter en route to Pibor, South Sudan. Due to the lack of physical infrastructure in much of South Sudan, traveling by helicopter is often the only way to reach remote areas.

Children at a UNICEF supported school greeets the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative in Pibor, South Sudan.

A former child soldier addresses LGen Dallaire and Dr. Whitman. He is part of some of the 1,700 child soldiers released from the Cobra Faction an armed group operating in the Jonglie State, South Sudan.

A former child soldier holds up one of the Roméo Dallaire Initiative’s latest training tools, a deck of cards that support and reinforces its core training material. This deck of cards is now being used by the former child soldiers to discuss their experiences during their time in the armed group with local NGOs and UNICEF.

UNICEF South Sudan films comments from LGen Dallaire in Pibor’s central cattle market.

A member of the South Sudan media films Dr. Whitman as she gives her remarks during a press conference held with UNICEF South Sudan.

Dr. Whitman addresses approximately 40 members of the SPLA: the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army. The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative illustrated it unique training on preventing the use of children as weapons of war to the assembled members of the SPLA and conducted a number of interactive exercises.

A young boy follows along with the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative as the team visits the Protection of Civilian Site Three in Juba, South Sudan. Some 20,000 individuals currently reside in the Juba POC site alone, which was created as individuals fled mass atrocities being committed in and around South Sudan during December 2013.

Two young boys peer through the wall of a classroom as LGen Dallaire and Dr. Whitman tour the classroom inside. This classroom is part of a new school development undertaken in the Protection of Civilian Three site in Juba, South Sudan.

Today in South Sudan, 16,000 children are used as weapons of war.

With this stark reality as a backdrop, the Dal-hosted Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative conducted a high-level advocacy mission from November 9th to 13th to South Sudan in conjunction with UNICEF South Sudan. Participants in the mission included LGen Dallaire (ret'd) and Dr. Shelly Whitman, the initiative's director.

The trip included key meetings with government officials, military representatives and civil society organizations. The Dallaire Initiative focused on identifying areas where it could integrate its unique prevention-oriented security sector approach within South Sudan and support the work of other organizations such as UNICEF.

A number of key commitments were achieved, including a public declaration and signed commitment by Cobra Faction leaders—an armed rebel group currently integrating within the South Sudan National Army—to release the remaining 300 children still operating in their ranks.

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Dalhousie University