The authorities in South Sudan continued their indiscriminate campaign to arrest young people, in a wave that began in mid-2025.
The campaign of widespread arbitrary arrests did not spare girls or boys under the legal age, under the pretext of stopping criminal criminals.
The security forces detained a huge number of young men, girls and boys, for up to a week without bringing charges against them, and they were not released until their families paid heavy bribes. It also became clear that young women were subjected to sexual assaults, while others were forcibly recruited, and the fate of some of them has not been known since then.
Blackmail, torture and rape
For its part, Human Rights Watch in Kenya said that security forces in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, are launching a massive campaign of arbitrary arrests targeting boys, young men and women, under the pretext of combating crime.
According to Human Rights Watch, these campaigns witnessed incidents of torture and ill-treatment of detainees, in addition to blackmail and forced recruitment.
In one of the raids, police officers beat women and committed rape.
“Under the pretext of suppressing gangs in Juba, security forces arbitrarily detained dozens of boys and young men, blackmailed them, forcibly conscripted them, and raped young women,” said Nyagwah Tut Bor, a South Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch.
He added: “The authorities must put an end to these violations, release detainees and forced conscripts, and hold the security forces accountable.”
Over the past decade, youth and gang violence have escalated in South Sudan, driven by poverty, unemployment, conflict and displacement.
In mid-June 2025, a video clip circulated on social media showing the rape of a 16-year-old girl in Juba, by individuals allegedly belonging to a gang.
Following reports of the incident, the National Police, the Popular Defense Forces and the National Security Service began joint operations in Juba neighborhoods. The initial crackdown began in late June, and was officially announced as a seven-day initiative at the beginning of July, but arrests continued until the end of 2025.
By early July, authorities announced they had arrested at least 600 people suspected of gang membership, and in October police said they had arrested 32 alleged criminals and seized weapons, with promises of legal action, but the organization was unable to confirm any ongoing legal action, except for a gang rape case in which 13 people had been arrested and 7 others charged.
Human Rights Watch concluded that the crackdown resulted in arbitrary arrests and detentions, followed by beatings and other abuses in police and army facilities, as well as the forced conscription of dozens of boys and young men.
Interviewees said that security forces, whether in uniform or civilian clothes, and armed with rifles or sticks, targeted boys and young men gathered or going about their daily lives on the streets of Juba.
