Central African Republic groups agree to free all child soldiers: UN

Soldiers and teenagers stand off in the Central African Republic.
Image by: AFP

Armed groups in the Central African Republic have agreed to release all child soldiers and children associated with their forces, who may be used as cooks or messengers or for sexual purposes, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.


The agreement, signed during a week-long national reconciliation forum in Bangui, covers an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 children currently associated with the armed factions, who also agreed to end any new child recruitment, UNICEF said.