Activist Yakani Urges Leaders to Avoid Recruitment of Arrested Gang Youth

By Otto |CRN| Juba Thursday 25 Sept.2025

The Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, has urged national leaders and security institutions to refrain from recruiting young people—especially those arrested in recent gang crackdowns—into the country’s armed forces.

His appeal follows a statement from the National Police Service spokesperson, confirming the arrest of 184 youth from various gang groups during a major security operation in the Sherikat residential area of Juba.

Yakani expressed deep concern that some of those detained may be children or underage youth and warned that recruiting them into military or security forces would violate both domestic law and international child protection standards.

“Our appeal to the leaders of the country is that these youth should not find themselves being recruited into the fighting forces of our various security institutions—and some of them may be children,” Yakani said.

He reminded authorities of South Sudan’s international obligations, including commitments to prevent the six grave violations against children in conflict, which include the recruitment and use of children by armed forces.

“We don’t want to see a case where children or youth, arrested through gang-related crackdowns, are forcefully recruited into the armed forces. That would be a serious breach of our national and international obligations,” Yakani warned.

CEPO further urged the National Police Service to ensure due process is followed by presenting the arrested youth before the courts and allowing the legal system to determine the appropriate course of action.

“I commend the police spokesperson for showing transparency in the operation and for confirming that investigations will be carried out. However, these suspects must be treated with dignity and allowed to go through a fair legal process,” Yakani stated.

While acknowledging the security threat posed by gang violence, Yakani emphasized that law enforcement must uphold human rights standards, especially when dealing with minors or vulnerable youth.

He also used the occasion to renew his long-standing call on young people across the country to avoid joining gangs or engaging in criminal behavior that could put them at odds with the law.

“I want to take this opportunity to appeal to all young people across South Sudan: value your lives, and refrain from criminal activities. Your future is too important to be wasted through conflict with the law,” Yakani said.

As a positive example, the activist pointed to the case of youth in Nimule Municipality, Eastern Equatoria State, who voluntarily surrendered their weapons and abandoned gang affiliations in favor of peaceful and productive community lives.

“We encourage youth elsewhere to follow the path taken by their peers in Nimule. Their decision to give up violence and embrace peace should be a national model,” he added.

Yakani concluded by urging all state and non-state actors to respect the rights of children and youth and to invest in rehabilitation and reintegration programs, rather than militarizing vulnerable groups.