UNICEF hails release of more child soldiers in Sudan
With 2,000 children out of an original total of 20,000 still associated with armed forces and groups in Southern Sudan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed latest demobilization of 250 youngsters, the biggest of its kind since the signature of a peace accord ended a two decades of civil war in January 2005.
With 2,000 children out of an original total of 20,000 still associated with armed forces and groups in Southern Sudan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed latest demobilization of 250 youngsters, the biggest of its kind since the signature of a peace accord ended a two decades of civil war in January 2005.
“It is time for these children to go home, go to school and enjoy the fruits of peace,” UNICEF country representative Ted Chaiban said at yesterday’s ceremony in Upper Nile state.
UNICEF Sudan is seeking $16.5 million to support child demobilization and reintegration throughout Africa’s largest country but so far only $2.5 million has been received or pledged for 2006.
More funding will enable a more effective process and a wider range of programmes to meet the needs of these and other vulnerable children in the community as a whole in such areas as access to education, health, clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
Since 2001, an estimated 20,000 children from the former southern rebel forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), have been disarmed, demobilized and returned to their families and communities with UNICEF support.
But there are still an estimated 2,000 children associated with the SPLA, mainly in non-combat roles and in hard-to-reach areas. A significant minority are girls whose circumstances and needs often differ from those of boys and require special consideration.
In addition, there are an unknown number of under-18-year-olds in other armed groups in Southern Sudan, which were formerly allied to the central government in Khartoum. Since early 2006, many of these forces have re-aligned themselves with the SPLA and are being absorbed.
UNICEF has worked with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, now the ruling party of the Government of Southern Sudan, to establish sound policies and procedures to release remaining children in the SPLA forces, facilitate tracing of their families, ensure sustainable reintegration into their communities and prevent future recruitment.