Hundreds of child soldiers released in South Sudan

(Vatican Radio) The UN Children’s Fund reports that one of South Sudan’s armed groups -- the Cobra Faction -- has released up to 250 child soldiers. It has been 15 months since the conflict erupted in South Sudan. Although the humanitarian situation remains stable, it is highly fragile.

Listen to Peter Kenny's report:

More than 800, 000 children are still displaced from their homes within South Sudan and another 344,000 are living outside the country.

The plight of these children is of deep concern to UNICEF, the U.N. agency dealing with children. UNICEF says children are being used to fight.

“With fighting flaring in different parts of the conflict areas, there is little hope this situation will change for the better,” UNICEF’s South Sudan representative Jonathan Veitch said.

“We see major issues affecting the entire wellbeing of South Sudan’s children, with soaring malnutrition, deteriorating access to water and sanitation, education and health.”

“The lives of these children are on hold and in many instances threatened with their very survival.”

Veitch said one it was particularly disturbing that more than 12,000 children have been recruited by all sides to the conflict.

He said it will require sustained international pressure to bring this endemic practice to an end.

“Our teams on the ground and our partners are reporting a strong upsurge in recruitment at the moment and it is ongoing.”

UNICEF has observed that some of the seized children have been allowed to go home during the day but must return to training camps in the evening which is also worrying the children’s agency.