A/HRC/43/56 Annex II Additional findings I. Recruitment and use of children – emblematic incidents79 1. Accounts received by the Commission from former child soldiers paint a picture of violent recruitment campaigns, harsh military training, 80 inhuman living conditions,81 frequent abuse and ill-treatment and the denial of education,82 adequate medical care83 and communication with parents or relatives. In so doing, government forces violated both the Child Act of South Sudan and the SPLA Act which prohibit the recruitment of children in military forces and require all actors to consider the best interest of the child. A. Warrap State Gogrial 2. The Commission spoke with a boy from Gogrial who recalled how, one day in December 2018, a green and brown “technical” pick-up truck arrived at his home. 84 Immediately upon arrival, SSPDF Tiger Division soldiers yelled at, handcuffed, and threw the boy into the back of their truck where four other boys aged 16 to 17 years were also confined.85 Unaware of why he was being accosted or that he was being forcibly recruited, the boy recalled being “afraid they would kill us”.86 3. SSPDF Tiger Division soldiers drove the boys to the Division 5 Girinty Military Barracks in neighbouring Wau (Western Bahr el Ghazal). At around 10.00 a.m. the following morning, boys and men were transferred to the National Security Service (NSS) training facility in Luri closer to Juba in wara trucks.87 There, the boy was able to identify by name a Tiger Division soldier wearing a khaki, black, and green camouflage print uniform who began training the recruits—teaching him military drills including how to crawl, as well as other conditioning methods. He was further taught how to do push-ups and kneel as “punishment”.88 4. Overall, the boy estimated 500 trainees at the Luri facility, 89 comprising men and boys. Explaining daily life in Luri, he recalled how some adult conscripts would cook, while boys washed dishes, and how he was denied adequate food and fed merely beans twice a day.90 Recruits slept in “blue houses” situated near the training grounds, and their freedom of movement was confined to the training facility. 91 5. Children at the Luri training facility were further tortured by drunk soldiers, and “punished” when food was not prepared. On one occasion, the boy recalled being lashed with a whip fashioned of leather.92 Other forms of torture included Tiger Division soldiers forcing children to lie on the ground while their necks were stepped on. 93 Tiger Division soldiers Certain details concealed subject to the principle of “do no harm”. Child Act 2008, at Art. 31. 81 Ibid. at Art. 6. 82 Ibid. at Art. 14. 83 Ibid. at Art. 15. 84 ERN 103205 - 103209, paras. 4-5. 85 ERN 103205 - 103209, paras. 3-4. 86 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 3. 87 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 7. 88 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 7. 89 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 8. 90 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 9. 91 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 10. 92 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 12. 93 ERN 103205 - 103209, para. 13. 79 80 26