The final batch of the nearly 3,000 child soldiers who served in the Maoist army during Nepal’s decade-long civil war have been discharged and re-entered civilian life, in a move hailed by U.N. officials as a milestone in the country’s peace process. The 268 individuals released Feb. 6 during a ceremony in Rolpa included those who had joined the Maoist army as minors, and as late recruits, and had remained in temporary camps for three years after the signing of the peace deal that ended the conflict. “The release of these young people today is not only symbolic for the country but a milestone for these young men and women who spent their formative years inside a military structure losing out on critical skills vital for adulthood,” UNICEF Country Representative Gillian Mellsop said. (UN News Service)
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