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Maoist rebels have kidnapped 28 children since cease-fire
Katmandu, July 24: Maoist rebels have kidnapped at least 28 children, possibly to be enlisted as fighters, since declaring a cease-fire with the government in January, a child right`s group said today.
Katmandu, July 24: Maoist rebels have kidnapped at least 28 children, possibly to be enlisted as fighters, since declaring a cease-fire with the government in January, a child right's group said today.
The children in their early teens were kidnapped from rural villages, according to a report by Cwin-Nepal, a prominent children's rights group in Katmandu.
"Though we don't know for sure how many of these children are used as combatants, they are still used to carry around arms and supplies which puts them in dangerous situations,'' said Gauri Pradhan, founder president of Cwin-Nepal. Hundreds of children under the age of 18 have either been recruited by the rebels or kidnapped and forced to join since the guerrillas began a violent campaign to abolish Nepal's constitutional monarchy and establish a socialist state in 1996, Pradhan said.
The rebels have denied using children in combat, but child rights groups have repeatedly alleged the rebels have forced hundreds of children to fight. The rebels could not be reached for comment because they closed their only contact office outside of their control zone citing security threats from the government.
The government has invited rebels to resume peace talks to end their seven-year insurgency, urging them to enter a third round of peace negotiations which was originally planned for May.
It was delayed due to a change in government and differences over the withdrawal of government troops.
Bureau Report
"Though we don't know for sure how many of these children are used as combatants, they are still used to carry around arms and supplies which puts them in dangerous situations,'' said Gauri Pradhan, founder president of Cwin-Nepal. Hundreds of children under the age of 18 have either been recruited by the rebels or kidnapped and forced to join since the guerrillas began a violent campaign to abolish Nepal's constitutional monarchy and establish a socialist state in 1996, Pradhan said.
The rebels have denied using children in combat, but child rights groups have repeatedly alleged the rebels have forced hundreds of children to fight. The rebels could not be reached for comment because they closed their only contact office outside of their control zone citing security threats from the government.
The government has invited rebels to resume peace talks to end their seven-year insurgency, urging them to enter a third round of peace negotiations which was originally planned for May.
It was delayed due to a change in government and differences over the withdrawal of government troops.
Bureau Report