Ethiopia / South Sudan: UN experts call for the release of remaining abducted children from the Gambella region

GENEVA (25 May 2016) – Two United Nations human rights experts today urged the Ethiopian and South Sudanese authorities to redouble their efforts to free all the children abducted in the western Ethiopia’s Gambella region during cross border attacks by armed men.

Last month, on 15 April, 208 people were reportedly killed and 146 girls and boys abducted when armed men from the Murle ethnic group crossed the Ethiopian border and attacked 13 Nuer villages in the Jikaw and Lare districts of the Gambella region. During the raids, 80 people were reportedly wounded and over 2,000 cattle stolen.

The experts’ appeal comes after the reported liberation of 59 of the abducted children, who are mostly younger than 13, and their return to Ethiopia over the past week.

The UN Special Rapporteurs on the sale of children, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, and on summary executions, Christof Heyns, commended the Ethiopian and South Sudanese authorities for achieving the release of the abducted children through negotiations, but stressed “that ongoing liberation efforts should not pose a threat to the safety and best interests of the remaining children held in captivity.”

“I welcome the provision of interim care, with the help of international actors, to these children but insist on the need to have adequate, child-sensitive and long-term care, recovery and reintegration support services,” Ms. de Boer-Buquicchio said. “They and their families and communities are entitled to reparations, including urgent interim reparations to address immediate needs and avoid irreparable harm.”

April’s attacks took place in a context of recurring cross border cattle raids and inter-ethnic clashes since the beginning of the year, in which 26 children from the Anywa ethnic minority have also reportedly been abducted and 19 Anywa villagers were killed. These abducted children run the risk of being sold for labour exploitation purposes.

“Both Ethiopia and South Sudan have the duty to guarantee the right of every individual to life and security,” Mr. Heyns added. “This includes the responsibility to prevent harm caused by non-state actors.”

The experts noted that it is essential to conduct effective and prompt investigations when such attacks occur in order to bring perpetrators to justice. “In the absence of accountability and with the existing level of impunity, the cycle of violence affecting the region will never come to an end and will only get worse,” they emphasized.

Gambella is an ethnically diverse, historically marginalized and underdeveloped region, and its stability has been impacted by events in South Sudan. Conflicts emerged in the region in the past decade which saw victims amongst all groups. More recently, affected communities have received little protection from the Ethiopian and South Sudanese governments, while the reported flow of small arms in the region is increasing the deadly outcome of these raids.

“There is an urgent need for an effective and well-resourced permanent presence at the border in order to monitor the area and prevent incursions,” they underscored. Moreover, both States must urgently address ongoing inter-ethnic conflict with conflict prevention and resolution measures through community and Government led initiatives.

The two UN human rights experts called on the Ethiopian and South Sudanese authorities to prevent a repetition of such attacks by increasing their collaboration. Priority should be given to reducing tensions and building confidence among and between ethnic groups by addressing the root causes of tensions, promoting stability, and engaging with communities. They also urged the international community to support these efforts and provide all the necessary support to locate, rescue and assist the abducted children.

The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, was appointed by the Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in May 2014. As a Special Rapporteur, she is independent from any government or organisation and serves in her individual capacity. To learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Children/Pages/ChildrenIndex.aspx

The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns is the director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa and Professor of Human Rights Law at the University of Pretoria, where he has also directed the Centre for Human Rights, and has engaged in wide-reaching initiatives on human rights in Africa. He has advised a number of international, regional and national entities on human rights issues. To learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Executions/Pages/SRExecutionsIndex.aspx

The United Nations Special Rapporteurs are part of what it is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. To learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx

UN Human Rights, Country Pages
Ethiopia: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/ETIndex.aspx
South Sudan: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/SSIndex.aspx

For further information and media requests, please contact Mr. Dorian Hall (+41 22 917 96 31) or write to srsaleofchildren@ohchr.org

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)  

For your news websites and social media: Multimedia content & key messages relating to our news releases are available on UN Human Rights social media channels, listed below. Please tag us using the proper handles:
Twitter: @UNHumanRights
Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
Instagram: unitednationshumanrights
Google+: unitednationshumanrights