Up to 400 child soldiers who had fought with the Islamic Courts Union have been discovered in Mogadishu by government forces, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said on Friday.
They were found during an operation in the trouble-torn capital where the transitional government and African Union forces are struggling to quell the remnants of an Islamic group that had held the capital at the end of 2006.
Unicef, which has its headquarters in Geneva, said it wanted to meet the children, who had been returned to their homes.
It reminded all parties that children should not be used in conflicts. It said Somalia was one of 58 countries who had signed an agreement in Paris in February aimed at ending the use of child soldiers. — Sapa-dpa