Nepal signs agreement to free child soldiers

Nepal’s government and former communist rebels have signed an agreement to free nearly 3,000 child soldiers who have been confined in United Nations-monitored camps since a Maoist insurgency ended in 2006.

Under the pact signed yesterday, the children will start to be released from December 27 and the process will be completed in 40 days. It was signed by government representatives, UN officials and the former rebels of the Communist Party of Nepal.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special representative for children in armed conflict, said the former child soldiers would be given the choice of either pursuing school or college education, setting up a business or getting vocational training by various UN agencies.