Central African Republic says 10,000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups there

By JEAN FERNAND KOENA
Associated Press

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — The government in Central African Republic says about 10,000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups in the country more than a decade after civil war broke out. The minister for family and gender says that while 15,000 children have escaped from rebel forces, many are traumatized and find it difficult to return to normal life. The United Nations estimates the fighting since 2013 has killed thousands and displaced over a million people, or one-fifth of the population. A peace deal was reached between the government and 14 armed groups in 2019, but fighting continues.