KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The last of Nepal's former child soldiers were released from government-run detention camps Monday, given pocket money, civilian clothes and a chance to start new lives.
The final 237 former Maoist rebels left a camp in the country's mountainous west after a ceremony attended by government and U.N. officials, as well as former guerrilla leaders. The communists fought the Nepalese government for 10 years before laying down their arms in 2006 and joining mainstream politics.
"The conclusion of the discharge process marks one step toward strengthening a more positive environment for the peace process, and to meeting the commitment of all parties to permanent peace in Nepal," said Karin Landgren, the chief U.N. official in the country.
Since the peace process began, thousands of former fighters have been detained in U.N.-monitored camps. Adult combatants were to be integrated into the national military — a process put on hold after the army chief refused to comply with the plan.
It remains unclear how many children were pressed into military service by the Maoists during the 1996-2006 insurgency, which left an estimated 13,000 people dead. Human rights organizations have said the communists forcefully took children from schools and persuaded them to fight government forces.
After Monday's ceremony, the former child fighters boarded buses to various destinations across the country. They were given some money for travel and civilian clothes.
They were issued special identification cards and a rehabilitation package that will allow them to go to school, take vocational training, or start businesses.
