Following an agreement with the UN, Nigeria's Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) has released 833 minors from its ranks, the UN children agency UNICEF said on Friday. Some 40 percent of the group are children under 15, and some of them are as young as 11, according to the agency.

The CJTF militia was founded in 2013 as an association of vigilante groups combating the Islamist Boko Haram.

"This is a significant milestone in ending the recruitment and use of children, but many more children remain in the ranks of other armed groups in either combat or support roles," said deputy representative of UNICEF Nigeria, Pernille Ironside, on Friday. "We call on all parties to stop recruiting children and let children be children."

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The UN has identified some 1,175 boys and 294 girls working or fighting for the CJTF in the area around the city of Maduguri, the capital of Nigeria's Borno state. The total number of children linked with the group could be over 2,200, officials said.

UN experts say that children are helping with intelligence searches, night patrols, crowd control, and at checkpoints.

The faction agreed to an action plan to end child recruitment in September 2017.

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Maduguri is also the birthplace of Boko Haram. The Islamist insurgency has killed over 27,000 people since its beginning in 2009. In response, Nigeria and other governments in the region deployed an international force against the group which largely crushed its military power. The pro-Sharia faction has since focused on launching terror attacks on civilian targets. Boko Haram often abducts children and uses them as suicide bombers.

UNICEF said that thousands more children were released from various armed groups since 2017, with the agency tracing their families and offering them support, education, and vocational training.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' Traumatic experiences "You notice one thing straightaway - the children here hardly ever laugh," says a helper at Malkohi camp, close to the Nigerian city of Yola. The camp now accommodates almost 300 people who were liberated in early May from Boko Haram captivity. About half are under 18 years old. Every third child is malnourished.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' Starting life in a refugee camp Lami Musa is the mother of probably the camp’s youngest resident. One day before she was rescued by soldiers, she gave birth to a baby girl. During the army’s liberation operation, several women were killed by the terrorists. "I just held my daughter tight and protected her with my body," the young mother said.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' A mother's loss Halima Hawu was less fortunate. One of her three children was run over and killed as they were being abducted by the terrorists. During the army operation, she was shot in the leg by a Nigerian soldier, as Boko Haram members used the women as human shields. "The pain is still there but perhaps the worst is now behind us," she hopes.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' Not enough food for the children Three-year-old Babaka spent six months in capitivity. Food was provided irregularly. There was just some maize for the children every now and then, former captives say. When the soldiers came, the little boy was close to death from starvation. Babaka is still extremely weak. He has not yet received adequate medical care in the camp.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' A narrow escape Babaka’s mother was taken to the nearby hospital in Yola, together with about 20 other seriously injured people. Someone who had been in front of them as they fled trod on a landmine. The massive explosion badly injured the woman and killed a baby she was carrying.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' Need for aid Apart from some donated clothing, little international aid has reached the women and children at Malkohi camp. Much is in short supply, especially medical personnel. There is no trace of the doctor who was supposed to be on duty. The provisional clinic is being run by just two nurses and a midwife.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' Relying on voluntary aid "I don’t understand why our national emergency agency doesn’t do more," says social worker Turai Kadir (seen here). She acted on her own initiative and found a doctor to take care of the children worst affected by malnutrition. That is really the task of NEMA, the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency, but it is totally overwhelmed.

Freed Boko Haram hostages: 'The pain is still there' 'Unbelievable strength' Regina Musa recently returned from the US to teach psychology at Yola University. Now she is helping provide psychological care for the women and children in the camp. "The women have demonstrated unbelievable strength," Musa said. During the traumatic period of captivity many cared for children who were not their own. "We have to help them understand how important that was." Author: Jan-Philipp Scholz / sh



dj/ng (Reuters, AP, dpa)