Off the wire
• Feature: August's full moon celebrations bring tourists close to Greek culture  • Results of women's 20km race walk at Rio Olympics  • Oil prices waver narrowly after strong rebound  • Results of men's 50km race walk at Rio Olympics  • Pole vault star Isinbayeva announces retirement  • Morocco attends Beijing book fair to gain impetus for cultural ties  • Canada's CPI dips to 1.3 pct in July  • UN marks World Humanitarian Day in Zimbabwe  • 1st LD Writethru: Second Zika transmission area identified in Miami, travel advisory issued  • Toth wins Slovakia's first ever Olympic athletics gold medal  
You are here: 　 Home

Over 650 children recruited into armed group in South Sudan in 2016: UNICEF

Xinhua, August 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

More than 650 children have been recruited into armed groups in South Sudan since the beginning of this year, the UN Children Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, calling for an immediate end to such a recruiting practice.

Fearful that renewed conflict could put tens of thousands of children at ever greater risk, UNICEF called for an immediate end to recruitment and the unconditional release of all children by armed actors.

An estimated 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups and armed forces since the crisis in South Sudan first began in December 2013.

UNICEF said children continue to be recruited and used by armed groups and forces despite widespread political commitment to end the practice.

"The dream we all shared for the children of this young country has become a nightmare," said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth, speaking from Nairobi following a trip to Bentiu and Juba in South Sudan. "At this precarious stage in South Sudan' s short history, UNICEF fears that a further spike in child recruitment could be imminent."

In 2015. UNICEF oversaw the release of 1,775 former child soldiers in what was one of the largest demobilizations of children ever. Renewed fighting and recruitment in South Sudan risks undermining much of this progress.

UNICEF also highlighted increased grave violations in the world's youngest country, noting that gender-based violence, already pervasive, has greatly intensified during the current crisis.

Meanwhile, World Food Programme (WFP) also reported that South Sudan is facing a humanitarian crisis, particularly acute in some northern regions. Close to five million people -- more than a third of the population -- are estimated to be suffering emergency levels of food insecurity.

Malnutrition is above emergency levels in seven of ten states, and nearly twice the emergency threshold in two of them. WFP is doing everything possible to provide life-saving food and nutrition support to those most in need. Endit