UNICEF airlifts over 2,500 demobilized child soldiers

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Tuesday that more than 2,500 former child soldiers had been airlifted out of conflict zones and into safe areas. "Rehabilitation and family tracing can begin," according to a press release issued by the UN's Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS). The operation started on Friday and continued throughout the weekend. The former child soldiers were flown from the Bahr el Gazal combat zone in southern Sudan, by two planes operated by WFP. The children were taken to reception centres, where local and international NGOs provided them with medical check-ups and other basic care. The operation is continuing until Tuesday, with some children being moved by road. The children ranged in age from 8-18 years and were demobilized from military camps run by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), following a commitment made by an SPLA commander to UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, in October last year. The children fall into two categories, according to the press release. Those with military training who never saw combat and those who saw combat and experienced other traumas. The first group could be reunited with their families and communities in three to four months. The other group requires more long-term care and will be provided with more formal vocational training.