NAIROBI, Kenya — United Nations officials said on Tuesday that they had secured the release of 3,000 child soldiers in South Sudan, calling it one of the largest ever demobilizations of children.
The first 280 children, ages 11 to 17, turned in their weapons and took off their fatigues on Tuesday in the village of Gumuruk in the war-ravaged South Sudan. Many of the children have never been to school, fighting instead for years for a rebel militia.
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“Nobody’s interested in developing the country,” he said. “Look at the place — education, health, roads. What’s been done? This is all about power.”
The children who disarmed on Tuesday were part of yet another ethnic group, the Murle, which has also been dragged into the conflict, first as rebels, then joining the government. Unicef said it was trying to reunify the children with their families and that it would then introduce them to education and training programs.
