UN group urges immediate demobilisation of child soldiers

The United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict has urged the Nepal government and the CPN (Maoist) to demobilise child soldiers without delay.

The Working Group made the call on Friday in a message addressed to the Nepal government and the CPN (Maoist).

“In regard to Nepal, we hope that the children who remain in the ranks of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) will be demobilized and reintegrated in their communities without delay,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, said.

The Working Group which was established in 2005 to protect children from armed conflicts however didn’t mention about the exact situation of child soldiers in the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which completed the first phase of registration of the PLA combatants and their arms, had also said there was considerable number of Maoist combatants who are below 18 years of age. While the UNMIN is yet to reveal the number of child soldiers in the PLA and their condition the Maoists have been insisting that they have not recruited minors in their army. nepalnews.com mk May 12 07

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