A/HRC/43/38 of children, including measures towards accountability for grave violations against children. 42. In Somalia, in October 2019, the Federal Government, the Ministry of Defence and the Special Representative signed a road map to accelerate the implementation of the action plans of 2012 to end and prevent child recruitment and use, and the killing and maiming of children, and to implement preventative measures on sexual violence. 43. In South Sudan, in view of revising the action plan of 2012 on child recruitment and use, the United Nations hosted in February 2019 a workshop with the South Sudan security forces, including the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, government ministries, parties integrating into the Defence Forces, civil society, United Nations system entities and the Office of the Special Representative. At the time of writing, the draft action plan was under review by the Government. Further, in April 2019, a joint verification committee consisting of the Defence Forces, the Pro-Machar Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, the Taban Deng-allied South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was established to visit military deployments and cantonment sites to screen and release children associated with armed forces and groups. At least 88 children were identified as associated with the Defence Forces, the Pro-Machar Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance between April and September 2019 and were released. 44. In June 2019 in the Syrian Arab Republic, after months of engagement, in coordination with the Special Representative, an action plan was signed between the United Nations and the Syrian Democratic Forces to end and prevent child recruitment and use. 45. Sustained engagement resulted in the signature of a memorandum of understanding between the coalition force commander and the United Nations to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict in Yemen in Riyadh in March 2019. The memorandum of understanding contains key provisions on child protection and creates a political framework for the development of a workplan to prevent the killing and maiming of children in military operations by the coalition in Yemen. The Government of Yemen adopted a road map in December 2018 to revitalize the implementation of its action plan of 2014 on ending and preventing child recruitment and use. A joint technical committee composed of key ministries and departments was established to support the implementation of the road map, and trainings were conducted by the United Nations with focal points of the armed forces of Yemen in April and May 2019. C. Progress in achieving accountability for grave violations against children 46. As affirmed by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 42/17 on human rights and transitional justice, impunity for gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law encourages their recurrence. Accountability measures are vital to promote the rule of law, provide reparations to victims, prevent future violations and deter repetition by imposing legitimate consequences for perpetrators, and, ultimately, end the cycle of violence and contribute to sustaining peace and development. The failure to hold perpetrators to account is an infringement on children’s right to justice and can hamper their recovery. Fighting impunity and bringing perpetrators to account should be a key element in any response to grave violations against children. 47. At the national level, important progress was made, for instance, by judicial authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in implementing, with the support of the United Nations, the child protection law of 2009, which stipulates that child recruitment is a crime punishable by up to 20 years of imprisonment. On 1 February 2019, Marcel Habarugira Rangira, a former officer of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who joined Nyatura as a commander, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment for child recruitment and use. In August 2019, the trial of Cobra Matata, former leader of 9