Plight of abducted children addressed

UN officials have received increasing reports of the use of children in armed groups and violations, including abduction and sexual violence by militant Islamist groups in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado region. A report of the allAfrica site notes that Unicef officials believe that thousands of children are at risk, saying that despite humanitarian access improving gradually in Cabo Delgado, no abducted children have been released. ‘As areas previously occupied by al-Shabab become accessible, unverified video material secured by armed forces in an abandoned training camp shows abducted children as young as five-years-old handling weapons and being indoctrinated to fight,’ said Unicef spokesperson James Elder. The railroading of children into the conflict has previously been reported by NGOs such as Save the Children and Human Rights Watch.