The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today called on the Central African Republic (CAR) to immediately stop child recruitment by rebel groups and pro-government militias amidst reports of increasing use of this practice.
"A number of rebel groups and various pro-government militias have become more active in recent weeks in the capital city of Bangui and across the country," said the UNICEF Representative for CAR, Souleymane Diabate. "Reliable sources have informed us that children are newly being recruited among their ranks. These reports are of serious concern."
"Our team on the ground is working with partners to monitor, verify, and respond to grave violations of child rights, including recruitment into armed groups - those at greater risk are children who have lost their homes, are separated from their families or were formerly associated with armed groups," Mr. Diabate added.
According to UNICEF, even before the latest round of violence in CAR erupted in December last year, about 2,500 children - both girls and boys - were associated with multiple armed groups, including self-defence groups, in CAR. The UN agency estimates that this number will rise because of the recent conflict.
Over the past weeks, widespread looting and violence occurred in the country as an alliance of rebel groups known as 'Séléka' attacked several towns in the northeast and threatened to march on Bangui. This week, the group reportedly halted their advance on the capital and agreed to start peace talks in Gabon.
CAR has a history of political instability and recurring armed conflict. State authority is weak in many parts of the country, which are largely controlled by rebel groups and criminal armed groups, according to the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA).
Coupled with ethnic tensions in the north, frequent armed incursions by rebel elements from neighbouring countries and the presence of members of the armed Ugandan group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), have added to insecurity and instability in CAR, which also has 170,000 people displaced internally.
UNICEF said more than 300,000 children have already been affected by the violence in CAR and its consequences, including through recruitment, family separation, sexual violence, forced displacement and having limited access to education and health facilities.
In particular, the agency is highly concerned about the involvement of youth under 18 years of age who may be forced to fight, carry supplies, perform other support roles and be abused as sex slaves by armed groups.
"Recent commitments under international law by the Government and some rebel groups to keep children out of the fighting must be respected," said Mr. Diabate. "All violations must stop. It is critical that everything is done to protect these children and keep their families safe."
UNICEF has worked in CAR since 2007 with both the Government and rebel factions to secure the release of more than 1,000 girls and boys from armed groups and self-defence groups and support their reintegration into families and communities.
However, the volatile security situation has hampered the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected communities and has led UNICEF to relocate 14 international staff and consultants last week. The agency has established an operational crisis centre for CAR in the city of Yaounde, Cameroon, where it said it will continue to work with partners to conduct emergency activities.
In relation to the latest violence, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council have condemned the attacks involving 'Seleka' and called for a halt hostilities. They have also called on both the Government and the rebels to resolve the current crisis through dialogue, and to abide by the 2008 Libreville Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was signed by the Government and the three main rebel groups and which helped bring an end to conflicts inside CAR.
The Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in CAR (BINUCA), Margaret Vogt, has remained in close dialogue with the key parties and has offered support to political negotiations.
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THIS HAS BEEN A PROBELM FOR CENTURIES THE EUROPEANS THE AMERICANS STIL RECRUIT CHILDREN ,16 YEARS OLD IS STILL A CHILD ?? .SO FOR THEM TO SPEAK WITH SUCH HYPOCRISY DRIPPING FROM THIER MOUTHS IS ALARMING!!!. THEY HAVE BEEN IN AFRICA FOR CENTURIES AND THEY HAVE NOT BROUGHT ANY TRUE REAL DEVELOPMENT FOR AFRICA WHICH GIVES THEM THIS PEROGATIVE TO PATRONISE ,SCOLD AND SPEAK LIKE THEY ARE SPEAKING TO SOMEONE WHOM THEY HAVE EDUCATED AND WHO KNOWS BETTER??? THIS IS JUST ALOT OF HOOPLADADIDOO!!!. THEY HAVE EXPLOITED THE SAME CHILDREN THEY ARE RFEREING TO, IN REGARDS TO GETTING RAW RESOURCES FOR THEIR RICH LIFE STYLES!!. THEY HAVE NOT ENTERED ANY REAL CHANGES OR ERADICATING POVERTY WHILST A RULER OR NOW AS NEGOS AND HRW' THEY ARE FANTASIST WHO WISHES TO BY PROXY RULE OVER AFRICAN LIVES MAKING NO DONATIONS AS FAR EMPWEORMENT TO SKIL EDUCATION OR SECURITY ; WE SEE THEY WANT AFRICANS TO COME TO EUROPE TO BE TRIED AND JUDGED BY WHITES WITH TOKEN "NEGORS" AS PROSECUTORS AND SO ON; THIS IS ALL FOOLISHNESS BACKWARDSNESS AND FOR THE WEAK OF HEART. "AFRICA IS REVOLVING EVOLVING INTO A A REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD WHERE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING FROM SHERE POVERTY, DISILLUSIONED, EMBITTERD TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES AND SEEK TO REBUILD ABD BUILD STRONG ECONOMIES WITH A FUTURE DESIGNED WITH OWNERSHIP". THE WEST HAS BEEN RELECUTANT TO HAVE AFRICANS EDUCATED AND ABLE TO EXTRACT REFINE AND CONTORL THIER RESOURCES', THEY HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO SEE EXTERME POVERTY ILLIETERACY .. 'INSTEAD OF HAVING WARS ON TERRORISM OR ON DRUGS WE NEED WARS ON ILLIETARCY IGNORANCE!!!. THESE THINSGS THEY ARE UNWILLING TO CHANGE IN AFRICA THEY WANT TO BE DOMINANT PLAYERS AUTHORITARIAN HEGEMONIC ;IF AFRICANS RETAINED THIER TRUE INDEPEDNENCE THEY WOUILD HAVE NO NEED FOR THESE NGOS OR EXPERTS ???? QUESTIONABLE WORDS EXPERTS ??? THEY FIRST OFF HAVE A TOTAL MISCONCEPT OF AFRICA ITS PEOPLE ITS ORIGINS ITS BEGININGS!!! THEY ARE COMPLETELY MISINOFRMED UNEDUCATED SO THIER PERSPECTIVES OF EXPERTISE ARE WARPED AND USUALLY WRONG!!!!!. THY SEE EUROEPAN LINES THEY BASE THINSG OFF THEIR EUROPEAN STANDARDS THAT DO NOT APPLY TO AFRICANS THEY GO TO AFRICA WITH THIS IDEEA THAT THEY ARE SUPERIRO TO AFRICANS. THEY DO NHOT GO TO AFRICA SEEING THAT THE PROBLEM IS ILLIETACY WHICH IS COMPLETELY OPPOSIT TO IGNORANCE AND EVEN IGNORANCE IS NOT ABLE TO KNOW THE DIFFERNCE. SHOULD ONE NOT HAVE THE SAME VALUES FOR LACK OF KNOWLDGE THEN THEY ARENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIER ACTIONS, THIS IS WHY THE ICC IS SUCH A FRAUD. WEHN WE HAVE THE WESTERN FINANCIAL INSTITUIONS GOING TO BED WITH TERRORIST MURDERERS KIDNAPPERS ACTUALLY SANCTIONING THESE ', PREMEDIATTION IS THE MOST HEINOUS FORM OF CRIMINALITY THAT CAN BE EXERCISED!!!!!!!!. SO THE SCOLDING THE TAKING THE HIGH ROAD WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH IMMORALITY AND PREMEDIATION IN THE WEST IS PHENOMEANAM!!!!!. WE NEED TO ERADICATE CHILDERN ILLIETARCY A WAR ON ILLIETARCY IS NEEDED IN 'ALL AFRICA' ALL AFRICA' ALL AFRICA THIS NEEDS TO REGISTER IN THE MINDS OF THESE SO CALLED EXPERTS WITH THIER PHONY AGENDAS"". WHAT I SEE IS THESE SAME PEOPE RETURNING TO THE USA AND APPLYING THESE SAME SKILLS TO THE URBAN CENTERS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS JUST AS DISTINCT IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES THROUGH OUT THE PLANET. LET US GO TO LOS ANGELES USA THE GANG PROBLEM IS THE SAME WE SEE IN AFRICA HWERE BLACK A ND BROWN CHILDREN ARE THE BIGGEST USERS OF GUNH VIOLENCE AGAINST THEMSLEVES!!! GANGS ARE MOSTLY FILLED WITH CHILDREN THEY ARE THE BIGGETS USERS OF FIREARMS THEY ARE IMUNE TO VIOLENCE FROM A VERY EARLY AGE AD THIS IS A PROBLEM IN THE USA TODAY AND MOST WESTERN NATIONS AT LARGE. THE BIBLE HAS VERY PROFOUND THOUGHT "BEFORE YOU TAKE THE SPLINTER OUT MY EYES, LOOK IN YOUR EYES AND TAKE THE BIG PIECE OF LUMBER IN YOUR OWN EYES".."EQUITY PARITY EDUCATION EMPOWERMENT ,ENDING OF EXPLOITATION FROM THE WEST END OF INETFREANCE!! ALLOWING FOR AFRICANS TO EVOLVE NATURALLY"... THESE THINGS IN PRINCIPEL ARE POIGNANT PART OF DEVELOPMENT, THERE ARE NO SUPEIROR BEINGS ON THE PLANET EVERYMAN HAS THE SAME POTENTIAL TO REACH THE SAME ZENITH HAS EQUAL GENIUS". BEING FREE IS A BASIC PART OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INSERTING COERCING FORCING DEFINING THE DIRECTIONS THE FUTURE OF ANOTHER PEOPLE IS FACIST AUTHORITARIAN DICTATORSHIP THAT WILL ALWAYS BE REJECTED AND THERE WILL ALWAYS BE REVOLT AND REBELLION. FORCING ONE TO BE A CARBON COPY OF YOURSELF IS IMPOSSIBLE EACH AND EVERYONE HAS THIER OWN DNA EVEN TWINS ARE' NT TURLY CARBON OF THEMSELVES!!! NATIONS PEOPLE HAVE DESTINED PRINCIPLED DESIRES THAT MAKE THEWM COLLABERATIVE IN OBTAINING HTIER (W)OWN DESTINIES. DO NOT SEEK TO BE A SCORNER A HOLLIER THAN THOU' BE A COMPASSIONTE HUMANITARIAN DEERVING OF REWARDS FOR YOUR EMPATHY AND WILLINGNESS TO TEACH STRONG INFRASTRCUTURES IN GOVERNMENTA CIVIL SERVICE DUTIES TO INSURE A STRONG INSTITUTION OF RELATING TO THE MARGINALISED. FOR SO LONG IN FRANCOFONE AFRICA WE HAVE SEEN THIS ERUPTION TO DISTANT THEMSELVES FROM THE HOLD THAT FRANCE HAS HAD OVER THESE ALLEGDLY FREE NATIONS, THEY ARE ALL STILL UNDER THE THUMBS OF THE FERNCH WHOSE ONLY PURPOSE IS TO RETAIN THIER HOLD OVER THE RESOURCES OF THE NATIONS. THE UNITED NATION IS A FOLLY AS IT CONTINUES TO REINFORCE THE COLONIAL HOLDS OVER THE NATIONS OF THESE AFRICAN NATIONS KEEPING THEM IN IGNORANCE ILLIERACY UNDERDEVELOPMENT UNPROGERSSIVENES BACKWARDSNESS. THIS HAS BEEN THE DUTIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS A COLLABERATOR OF COLONIALISM IN AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!