Central African Republic militias agree to free child soldiers: U.N.
Reuters
Published May 05, 2015 05:48AM ET
Central African Republic militias agree to free child soldiers: U.N.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Armed factions in the Central African Republic have agreed to free all child soldiers and other children who may be used as cooks or messengers or for sexual purposes, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.
The deal covers an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 children and the eight main militia groups also agreed to end any new recruitment of children, according to UNICEF.
"This is a major step forward for the protection of children in this country," said Mohamed Malick Fall, the UNICEF envoy to Central African Republic.
"The Central African Republic is one of the worst places in the world to be a child and UNICEF is eager to work with local authorities to help reunite these children with their families."
The accord was signed during a week-long national reconciliation forum aimed at ending a cycle of sectarian conflict that has killed thousands and driven more than a million people from their homes. The country is now divided along sectarian lines, with a government-controlled, Christian-dominated south and a Muslim, rebel-held north.
The parties to the deal will agree a schedule for the release of the children and their return to their families and homes and protection and support to help them rebuild their lives, UNICEF said.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.