The UNICEF has welcomed the release of 833 children from
the ranks of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri, northeast
Nigeria, as part of its commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use
of children, reports NaijaAgroNet.
This is the first formal release of children from the CJTF since
September 2017 when the group signed an action plan committing to put measures
in place to end and prevent child recruitment following a listing in the
annexes of the UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report for Children and Armed
Conflict for the recruitment and use of children.
“The release of these children from CJTF shows commitment to implement the
provisions of the Action Plan and to uphold international humanitarian law,
human rights laws as well as other regional and national legislations,
protecting children’s rights,” said Pernille Ironside, Deputy Representative of UNICEF
Nigeria and the Co-chair of United Nations Country Task
Force on Monitoring and Reporting on grave child rights violations (CTFMR).
“This is a significant milestone in ending the recruitment and use of
children, but many more children remain in the ranks of other armed groups in
either combat or support roles. We call on all parties to stop recruiting
children and let children be children.”
Since the Action Plan was signed, members of the CTFMR initiated a joint
field verification exercise to ascertain the presence and association of
children within the command structures and ranks of the Civilian Joint Task
Force. As of today, a total of 1,469 children
(1,175 boys and 294 girls), associated with the Civilian Joint Task Force have
been identified within the city of Maiduguri.
UNICEF continues to work closely with state authorities to support the
implementation of reintegration programmes for the children released today as
well as others affected by the ongoing conflict.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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