“Children do not start wars and cannot end them. We must do everything in our power to safeguard them. From their ability to learn through to accessing livelihoods, protecting children is not a choice, but an obligation.”

At the opening of the 3rd National Conference on Protection of Children against Recruitment and Use of Children in South Sudan, Vice President, Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior gave a powerful speech outlining the immense harm inflicted on children across the conflict-affected country.

“As we witnessed political instability across this country during past decades, we must remind ourselves that behind every statistic lies a child whose dreams, innocence and future are at stake,” she said. “Children are among the most vulnerable members of our society. They are characterized by trust, hope, the right to live peacefully, yet these fundamental rights are being violated in many parts of the country.”

“Armed groups and militia exploit the vulnerability of children, often forcefully or deceitfully recruiting them into their ranks. This practice, not only, robs child of their childhood but also exposes them to the horrors of war, violence and trauma that can leave long-lasting scars.”

“It takes more than a good government. It takes good people on the streets working every day to make a change. It takes dedicated commitment and hard day to day work. We must reach out to protect vulnerable children. It is a responsibility we all share,” she told the 150 participants at the conference.

The conference was convened by the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations to discuss progress made in the implementation of the Comprehensive Action Plan to end and prevent grave violations against children in the context of armed conflict, signed in 2020.

Since the signing, grave violations have decreased significantly. However, there is concern at a recent spike in incidents of the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and groups, particularly in conflict hotspots.

The UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting verified 236 grave violations against 221 children from January to December 2023, compared to 466 violations affecting 335 children in the same period the previous year.  However, the recruitment and use of 152 children (136 boys and 16 girls) demonstrated an upward trend. The Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare described the many ways that children are forced into armed groups.

“Some are abducted and beaten into submission. Others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities, or out of feelings of revenge. Their role is not limited to fighting. Many girls and boys are also used in support functions that entail great risk and hardship: from combatants to cooks, spies, messengers and even sex slaves,” explained the Minister, Aya Warille Benjamin.

“No matter their role, children are exposed to acute levels of violence: as witnesses, direct victims, and as forced participants.”

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, urged the adoption of targeted measures to safeguard children.

“In South Sudan, this is represented by the Government’s full commitment to the Action Plan, particularly its implementation within the unified forces. Professionally trained and well-equipped deployed forces can both prevent violations and protect children,” said Nicholas Haysom.

“There must also be accountability for those responsible. The gap in impunity must be closed, sending a message of zero tolerance for such crimes.”

He outlined UNMISS support for these processes, including the deployment of mobile courts and the conduct of General Court Martials for the military as well as mapping high risk areas and training security personnel on child protection.

“It is time to hear children’s voices in shaping the future of this country rather than objecting to their participation in conflict and militant mobilization,” he said. “Together, we will support South Sudan’s transition to a self-reliant and democratic state where children can look forward to a brighter and more secure future.”

Closing the conference, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations and co-chair of the Country Task Force of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, described the conference as just one of many collaborative efforts with the Government to enhance child protection.

“We must remain vigilant to consolidate the hard-earned gains from past child protection efforts. The recent increase in verified cases of recruitment and use of children serves as an early warning that requires our immediate attention. We cannot afford to lose ground,” she said.

“The United Nations will stand with South Sudan and work hand in hand with you to prioritise the wellbeing of children.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The report details how this debt crisis is jeopardising progress aimed at ending AIDS in Sub-Saharan African countries, which account for a significant majority of people living with HIV globally – 25.9 million people of the nearly 40 million total.

If debt payments and stifled budgets are unaddressed in the next three to five years, countries will be “under-resourced to fund their HIV responses,” according to the UN agency’s report.

Further data reveals that “the region’s success in having reduced new HIV infections by 56 per cent since 2010 will not be sustained if fiscal space is constrained.”

Paying back sovereign debt now exceeds half of government revenue in Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.

UNAIDS said that even after debt relief measures, Zambia will still be handing over two-thirds of its budget for debt servicing between 2024 and 2026.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said that “public debt needs to be urgently reduced and domestic resource mobilisation strengthened to enable the fiscal space to fully fund the global HIV response and end AIDS.”

Debt servicing

Ms. Byanyima noted that global health security is put at risk when countries are unable to meet healthcare needs due to debt payments.

This has been evident in Western and Central Africa as there has been a noticeable decline in HIV response spending since 2017.

A news release based on the report reveals that Western and Central Africa will need to mobilise $4.18 billion to fully fund the HIV response in 2024. “This will climb to $7.9 billion by 2030 unless efforts are scaled up today to stop new HIV infections.”

It was noted that $20.8 billion was allocated for the HIV response in 2022 in low and middle-income countries through different donations, but it was not enough to effectively finance the HIV response.

To fully respond to HIV needs in 2024, Eastern and Southern Africa needs $12 billion, which will escalate to $17 billion by 2030 unless new HIV infections decline.

Necessary measures

The UNAIDS report says sub-Saharan African countries need to strengthen their tax systems and see an increase in financial donations to garner more domestic resources to effectively respond to their “pandemics.”

UNAIDS chief, Ms. Byanyima said, “World leaders cannot let a resource crunch derail global progress to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

Youth activists heading to New York

The UNAIDS chief said that young people are playing an active role in driving the progress made in the HIV response.

UNAIDS has partnered with two social media influencers living with HIV from Kenya and South Africa to attend the Summit of the Future and the UN General Assembly meetings in New York to urge leaders to invest in health systems and services that will support young people living with HIV.

Jerop Limo, the young Kenyan HIV activist, said, “I want leaders to leave New York knowing that we are not beneficiaries, we are equal rights holders.”

“We want meaningful and ethical engagement of adolescents and young people in all spaces of the AIDS response,” she continued.

South African advocate, Ibanomonde Ngema, said the meetings will not be enough to end AIDS – solutions need to be involved.

Young people living with HIV play a critical role in the fight against AIDS in communities.

Include us in the conversation

“The world can only benefit when young people are included in the global HIV response,” Ms. Ngema said. “No conversation about HIV should take place without us, from policy to practice in communities.”

As young people living with HIV also face stigma and discrimination, including from doctors, they will be lobbying world leaders at the General Assembly to “uphold the human rights of young people as key to ending AIDS as a public health threat.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Heavy rains over the last few weeks have triggered massive flooding and devastation in West and Central Africa, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their destroyed homes in areas already suffering from food insecurity and conflict.  

Human-induced climate change “is likely to have significantly worsened the situation”, according to scientists at the Red Cross Climate Centre. 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched emergency appeals in Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to respond to the catastrophic flooding. 

Mohammed Mukhier, IFRC Regional Director for Africa says: 

“Torrential rains have triggered destructive floods that have left millions in dire need of assistance. The floods are testament to climate crisis damage in Africa and how it’s affecting vulnerable communities. We need an urgent response now and in the coming weeks with more flooding expected.”  

In Chad, where an estimated 1.5 million people have been affected, initial assessments point to the destruction of over 164,000 homes, with all 23 provinces of the country involved, and Tandjile, Mayo-Kebbi Est, Logone and Lac among the most afflicted provinces. Over 259,000 hectares of croplands have been wiped out, heightening the risk of food shortages in a country already grappling with chronic food insecurity. With the continuing rise of floodwaters, the humanitarian situation in Chad could deteriorate further.  

The country has faced increasingly severe floods in recent years, part of a broader pattern of worsening weather in the Sahel due to climate change. Once expected every 10 years, torrential rains now occur every 2 to 5 years.  

Khalal Sennousi Ahmat, President of the Chad Red Cross, says: 

“The scenes following the floods in Chad are heartbreaking. Entire villages have been left under water and families have lost everything. The numbers of people affected are expected to rise as the rains continue. Our team’s focus now is to provide shelter, food and medical care, but we need more resources given the scale of the devastation.”  

A growing concern is the stagnant water that exacerbates unsanitary conditions and risks outbreaks of waterborne disease. Safe drinking water, health services, and sanitation facilities are desperately needed to prevent the spread of deadly diseases such as cholera and malaria.  

Chad is not alone in suffering the extreme effects of the climate crisis, with many other West and Central African countries experiencing severe weather. Since July, South Sudan has been battling heavy floods, with over 735,000 people affected across 38 counties. Worst-hit areas include Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Jonglei, and Unity, where homes, schools, and health facilities have been destroyed, displacing thousands. Projections indicate that up to 3.3 million people could be affected by October, making it the worst floods in South Sudan’s history. 

Similarly, Nigeria has experienced severe flooding following continuous heavy rainfall, affecting over 1 million people across 18 states, including Borno, Adamawa, and Bayelsa. The Nigeria Red Cross is preparing life-saving assistance for 200,000 people, but this number is expected to double as the floods worsen.  

In Niger, the worst flooding in a decade has affected 842,000 people across all eight regions. The Niger Red Cross is providing a holistic response, including sanitation facilities, cash grants, climate adaptation strategies, and protection for vulnerable communities. 

In all the affected countries, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams are providing emergency shelter, food, clean water, sanitation facilities, mosquito nets and cash grants, but with many roads becoming inaccessible due to flooding, the response is a race against time.  

In addition to immediate relief, the IFRC is working with Red Cross teams in Chad, South Sudan, Niger and Nigeria on long-term resilience programmes and climate adaptation strategies. Efforts will focus on rebuilding homes with climate-resilient infrastructure, improving sanitation, and restoring agricultural capacity to safeguard food security and protect vulnerable communities.  

Dr Ben Adinoyi, IFRC Head of Delegation, Country Cluster Delegation for the Central African Republic and Chad:  

“These are not just one-time events. What we are witnessing is a growing, recurrent tragedy. This cycle of extreme weather is becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis. Beyond saving lives during this crisis, Red Cross is matching long-term climate resilience strategies to protect vulnerable families from climate shocks.”  

The IFRC has launched an emergency appeal for CHF 8 million to assist over 385,000 of the most vulnerable people across seven severely impacted provinces in Chad. In addition, the IFRC is initiating emergency appeals for Niger (CHF 8 million), and Nigeria (CHF 10 million) to support both immediate relief and long-term operational work. South Sudan is also scaling up their life-saving relief activities.  

As part of its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) for flood response, the IFRC has already contributed CHF 231,293 to Nigeria, CHF 1 million to Chad, CHF 309,523 to Niger, and CHF 943,271 to Sudan. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Portfolio Committee on Police has requested the Minister of Police, National Commissioner of Police and the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation to outline the rationale for appointing Major General Patrick Mbotho as Divisional Commissioner: National Priority Offences in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. The committee has learned that the SAPS has made the appointment despite major integrity and reputational concerns.

“The fight against crime requires police officers of high integrity that are beyond reproach,” said Mr Ian Cameron, Chairperson of the committee. “The fact that Major General Mbotho has had various allegations of impropriety against him might have a negative impact on the perception of the SAPS’ willingness to fight crime,” Mr Cameron said.

While the committee acknowledged that these allegations had not been proven in any formal or legal process, the mere fact that the allegations of impropriety exist and that no formal investigation was undertaken to disprove the claims will feed the perception that the SAPS are protecting their own. “The trust deficit between the SAPS and the community will continue to widen if officers facing such worrying allegations are promoted. The police management must reconsider the appointment to safeguard the integrity of the service,” Mr Cameron urged.

Some of the allegations against Major General Mbotho is that he posted various explicit and adult content to a Detectives Commander WhatsApp group using his official cell phone. The committee found it concerning that this allegedly happened while Major General Mbotho headed the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. This unit’s primary mandate is the protection of women and children. “That transgression alone should have led to his dismissal from the SAPS, especially because of the unacceptably high gender-based violence in the country. That he was only transferred to North West DPCI was grossly irregular and reeks of SAPS protecting their own,” Mr Cameron said.

There were also allegations that Major General Mbotho had meetings with individuals currently suspected of gang activity and extortion in the Western Cape. The Chairperson said with the country currently experiencing increased cases of extortion, it is unfathomable that an individual with such worrying allegations was promoted. There are also other allegations that Major General Mbotho was involved in interfering in criminal investigations and defeating the ends of justice. “It is on this basis that the appointment seems highly irrational and threatens the reputation and integrity of the SAPS in the eyes of the public,” Mr Cameron said.

As a result, the Chairperson has written a letter to the Minister of Police to, amongst others, clarify who the other applicants for the post were, who the members of the recruitment panel were, the performance of Major General Mbotho in the North West province compared to other provinces, if the allegations against him were considered during the recruitment process, and if the Major General has the requisite security clearance as required by the position. The committee has given the Minister until September 27 to respond.

“What is important to the Portfolio Committee is the appointment of capable, ethical and credible officers that will enhance the fight against crime. Appointments must send a clear message that SAPS is serious about upholding the integrity of the service,” Mr Cameron said.

The committee also requested that the appointment be reviewed and an inquiry be launched.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.