SBS' social experiment reunites former South Sudan child soldier with his torturer

A former child soldier has come face-to-face with the man who tortured him in SBS' Look Me In The Eye.

The show, hosted by Ray Martin, aired last night, and brings together 17 estranged couples in a social experiment that sees them stare into each other's eyes for five minutes without talking.

Afterwards, they can choose to speak, explore their history, choose to reunite – or not.

Last night's premiere episode bought together a former child solider from South Sudan with his teenage prison guard and torturer.

Ayik, 38, joined a military camp in Ethiopia when he was about 13 years old.

He told SBS the camp was hellish - recalling hunger, brutal training regimes and burying fellow child soldiers.

"I used to get so sad because I thought, their families will never know where they died,"  he said.

His counter-part in the social experiment was Anyang, a few years older than Ayik and a former child solider and guard in charge of the military camp's prison.

Ayik ran away from the camp almost 15 times but was always found and brought back.

It was Anyang's job to punish Ayik.

For Ayik, Anyang was the worst of the lot.

"No one hurt me like he did,"  he told SBS.

Ayik has since made a life for himself in Australia, living in Brisbane with his 11-year-old son.

However, 10 years ago his past met him in his present when he spotted Anyang at his local church.

"I was shaking, this shiver went through me. How did he survive? This guy, he should have been dead," said Ayik.

The pair did not see each other again for two years.

It was Ayik who applied to participate in SBS' Look Me In The Eye.

The shows producers found Anyang who agreed to the experiment.

After five minutes of silent staring, the two men are reduced to tears.

The two agreed to speak - where Anyang apologised and begged for Ayik's forgiveness.