Child soldiers 'recruited from tsunami camps'
Tamil Tiger rebels have recruited 106 children into their ranks since the December 26 tsunami hit Sri Lanka, Unicef officials said today.
The recruits included those taken from tsunami refugee camps in the Tamil-majority north and east of Sri Lanka, parts of which are under guerrilla control, Marc Vergara, a spokesman for the United Nations children’s aid agency, told The Associated Press.
“There have been 106 verified cases over the last three months,” he said.
There was no immediate response from the rebels.
The Tigers have been known to recruit children into their ranks in their conflict with the government.
Peace talks stalled two years ago amid demands by the rebels for wide autonomy in the Tamil-dominated north and east.
Since the rebels signed a truce with the Sri Lankan government in 2002, more than 3,500 children have been enlisted by the rebels, according to human rights groups.
Children accounted for a staggering 40%, or 12,000, of Sri Lanka’s tsunami death toll of at least 31,000. Nearly one million people have been left homeless.
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