Nigerian militia frees nearly 900 children used in war on Boko Haram

Nigerian militia frees nearly 900 children used in war on Boko Haram
# 10 May 2019 15:31 (UTC +04:00)

A regional militia allied with Nigerian government forces freed on Friday almost 900 children it had used in the war against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, ONA reports citing Reuters.

The move brought the total number of children freed to more than 1,700, a UNICEF statement said. 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 northeast, according to UNICEF.

“(This) is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognized and encouraged,” UNICEF Nigeria chief Mohamed Fall said in the statement, referring to Friday’s release by the militia group, which works closely with the military to fight Boko Haram.

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED