The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur or UNAMID welcomes Justice and Equality Movement or JEM renewed Command Order issued on September 30, prohibiting the recruitment and use of children in its ranks.
The Order instructs all JEM members to adhere to international norms and standards governing the protection of children and observe all provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions on children in armed conflict.
JEM leadership calls on its field commanders to extensively disseminate the document as recruitment and use of children is a serious crime under international law and the Sudan Child Act of 2010.
UNAMID’s Acting Joint Special Representative Ambassador Abiodun Bashua describes the step to phase out the phenomenon in the Darfur conflict as significant.
He reiterates that UNAMID shall continue to engage all parties to the conflict to end all forms of violations against children.
The Order followed a meeting between UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and Sudan Liberation Movements of Abdul Wahid and Minni Arko Minawi in May 2015 in Austria.