I must confess that I'm not quite familiar with this exact citation. I would believe that whoever wrote it from my colleagues most likely meant that there was a need for accountability for the commanders—not for the children but for the commanders—who are responsible for abducting those children from their families or forcing those children to join their ranks. This is something that we've been actively and consistently calling for. It's one thing to reintegrate those children, which is highly important work and nothing that we would in any way, shape, or form criticize, but on the other hand, if this is not accompanied by punitive measures against those who are responsible for this horrific situation, then what are we doing? We're simply paying constantly to repair abuses or to repair lives being destroyed by people who will suffer no consequences.
Hence our focus on accountability, which I think is an essential component in any conflict, and all the more so in South Sudan. This is a place where the president is able to use events from 1991 to attack his opponents and gather enmity against a specific tribe for events that have never been investigated or tried. Even if we have peace tomorrow, or after tomorrow, in South Sudan, if we don't want to see war again five years from now, then it is essential that those who are responsible for all those abuses be investigated, charged, and tried.
Otherwise, we're just doomed to see a repetition of this horrific situation. The people of South Sudan have been suffering for way too long.