Advertisement

Child soldiers to be released in South Sudan

The first 280 turned in their uniforms Tuesday.

By Ed Adamczyk
Civilians at the UN House compound on the southwestern outskirts of Juba on December 17, 2013. Up to 13,000 South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge at the UN compounds in Juba, fleeing fighting between members of the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) that broke out in Juba on the night of 15 December. UPI/UN Photo/Julio Brathwaite
Civilians at the UN House compound on the southwestern outskirts of Juba on December 17, 2013. Up to 13,000 South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge at the UN compounds in Juba, fleeing fighting between members of the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) that broke out in Juba on the night of 15 December. UPI/UN Photo/Julio Brathwaite

GUMURUK , South Sudan, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Three thousand children, recruited as rebel soldiers in South Sudan, will be released, United Nations officials said Tuesday.

They are among an estimated 12,000 children, mostly boys between 11 and 17, used as a rebel militia in South Sudan's ethnic and political conflict. The first 280 turned in their uniforms in the village of Gumuruk Tuesday under the direction of the UNICEF officials, who said the rest would disarm in the next several weeks.

Advertisement

Oil-rich South Sudan, which won its independence in 2011, has endured a year of civil war in which thousands of civilians have been killed and over a million displaced. Another 480,000 fled to neighboring countries. Rivals within the government initiated conflict, leading to battles between the Dinka and the Nuer, South Sudan's largest ethnic groups.

Most of those who disarmed Tuesday are members of the Murle ethnic group, which fought first as rebels and then joined the government side. The majority of them initially took up arms largely to defend their families and communities from discrimination by the government. None have been accused of human rights violations, UNICEF officials said.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines