Country militias to free child soldiers

onnaedo 16:05 - 05 May 2015

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Reports say militia in CAR have recruited 6,000 - 10,000 children to work as soldiers, messengers or cooks.

The United Nations (UN) has said that the various armed groups in Central African Republic (CAR) have agreed to release all the children that are working with them and end child recruitment.

BBC reports that government representatives, leaders of armed groups and UN agencies negotiated the deal during a week of talks in the CAR capital, Bangui.

Meanwhile,theUnicef chief in CAR Mohamed Malick Fall described the move as "a major step forward for the protection of children".

However, Unicef is cautious and wants immediate access to areas under the control of armed groups, and a strict timetable for the children's release. The children will also face a long rehabilitation.

Unicef says the CAR conflict, which started after a mainly Muslim rebel group seized power in March 2013, "has created one of the world's worst and least visible humanitarian crises.

Ahead of possible new elections in the country, a week-long national reconciliation forum began on Monday in Bangui bringing together politicians, armed groups, and religious leaders.