JUBAUnicef has warned of a spike in the recruitment of child soldiers to fight in South Sudan’s brutal civil war. “The different groups are recruiting,” said Justin Forsyth, deputy executive director of Unicef. Last year Unicef helped free 1,775 child soldiers from various armed groups, but Forsyth warned that fighting which engulfed the capital Juba last month and has thrown a shaky peace deal into doubt would lead to fresh recruitment. “At this precarious state in South Sudan’s short history, Unicef fears that a further spike in child recruitment could be imminent,” he said. In last month’s fighting, Machar’s forces were pushed from the capital to which they had returned under the peace agreement.

Source: Daily Nation August 19, 2016 16:52 UTC