UN calls for rebels to send child conflict participants home

NEPAL: The United Nations child protection agency called on Nepal's rebel Maoists Tuesday to return underage fighters and participants in their decade-long "people's war" to their homes.

"We are extremely concerned that children below 18, who have been associated with armed forces and armed groups in Nepal, have not yet been returned or reintegrated with their families and communities," Suomi Sakai, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) Nepal representative, said in a statement. Nepal's Maoist rebels have frequently been accused by rights groups of recruiting people under 18, a charge they have denied.

"Some children are recruited not to fight but work as informants, cooks and messengers," another UN official said, adding: "They have also been caught carrying parts that are used in improvised explosive devices."

The government and rebels have been observing a ceasefire for just over six months, and have reached a landmark peace agreement that will see the rebels join the government before the end of the month.

Kathmandu, Tuesday, AFP.