Child soldiers drafted into Chad violence

NDJAMENA, Chad, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Fighting between army and rebel forces throughout Chad has led to an increase in the number of children being forced to serve as soldiers, a report said.

The U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks reported Wednesday that, according to the human rights group Human Rights Without Borders, children are being taken from their homes by army forces and being forced to serve as soldiers.

"Many youth being made to join the army are underage," DHSF head Deuzoumbe Daniel Passalet said.

The increased use of children in the military conflict comes as the United Nations is attempting to demobilize those children previously drafted into service for either side.

A member of the U.N. Children's Fund in Chad said that due to an increase in regional violence since November, the international group's plan to limit the number of child soldiers has been delayed.

"The process on standby," U.N. Children's Fund official Jean Francois Basse, told IRIN. "It's now all just a big mess."