Nepal begins discharging thousands of Maoist child soldiers

Jan 7, 2010, 19:04 GMT

   Kathmandu - Over 200 child soldiers were discharged in southern Nepal Thursday, beginning the process of removing all minors from Maoist camps.

   The 204 children were formally discharged from Dudhauli camp in Sindhuli district, about 200 kilometres south-east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, the United Nations Mission in Nepal said.

   They were given a set of civilian clothes and 10,000 rupees (136 dollars) as a travel allowance to get back home.

   The children had been living in Maoist camps since the end of the communist insurgency just over three years ago.

   They are among 4,008 Maoist combatants, including nearly 3,000 minors, which the UN mission found were recruited in violation of international agreements.

   The UN said that the Maoists would by mid-February release all combatants recruited either when they were underage or after the signing of the peace agreement.

   The rehabilitation process is due to give them the opportunity to gain new skills, including vocational training or formal education, to pursue civilian life.

   The UN said once it can verify that the Maoists have complied with the discharges, they can be considered for removal from the list of parties that recruit children to participate in armed conflict.

   'The release of these young people sends out a symbolic message,' said UNICEF Nepal representative Gillian Mellsop. 'Not only can these young people now finally get on with their lives, but this also marks a new beginning for Nepal, so that it can move forward to a more stable, peaceful future.'

   Nearly 14,000 people died during Nepal's communist insurgency which formally ended with the signing of the peace accord in November 2006.