900 children involved in fight against Boko Haram freed by pro-government militias in Nigeria

cde.news desk 10 May 2019, 18:31 · 1 min read

epa06920358 Children orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency line up at the Special Orphans Learning Center initiated and managed by the Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) North-East Children's Trust in Maiduguri, Nigeria, 26 July 2018 (Issued 31 July 2018). According to statistics from the Nigerian Borno State Government over 53 thousand children have been orphaned by the insurgency in the State. Militant Islamic terror group Boko Haram have been active in Northern Nigeria for over 10 years. EPA-EFE/STR

A regional militia in Nigeria has freed 900 children involved in the fight against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, the UN says. UNICEF says children have been among the worst-hit by the decade-long conflict.

More than 1,700 children have now been released by Civilian Joint Task Force, a local militia thatworks closely with the military to fight Boko Haram and signed a commitment to end the recruitment and use of children in 2017.

Non-state armed groups embroiled in the decade-long conflict against Boko Haram recruited more than 3,500 children between 2013 and 2017 in Nigeria’s north-east, according to Unicef.

“[This] is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognised and encouraged,” said Unicef’s Nigeria chief, Mohamed Fall, following the children’s release on Friday.

“Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.”

Via DW / The Guardian

Topics Boko Haram Nigeria Unicef