Recruitment of new soldiers threatens South Sudan's peace

YAMBIO, South Sudan – South Sudan's rival armed groups are forcefully recruiting civilians, including child soldiers, violating a fragile peace deal signed five months ago.

Officials say the evidence from numerous accounts that opposing sides are adding fighters to their ranks is a worrying sign that threatens the country's peace.

In Yambio, near the border with Congo, all sides met recently to try to resolve their differences and strengthen the peace agreement. However, the meeting quickly turned tense as government and opposition officials accused each other of recruiting new fighters, including child soldiers. The meeting highlighted the need for all fighters to be integrated into a single, unified national army.

South Sudan is slowly emerging from the five-year civil war that killed almost 400,000 people and displaced millions.