"We fear that there are still kids who are being at least temporarily detained because they are being released from Boko Haram areas by the army"

* Children held after Nigeria retakes land from Boko Haram

* Rights groups say no proper legal process

* Army says needs to establish whether any militant links

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations has negotiated the release of nearly 900 children detained by Nigeria's army and security forces after they have retaken land from Boko Haram militants, a senior official said.

The 876 children had been held in the barracks in Maiduguri, UNICEF's Manuel Fontaine said after visiting the northeastern city.

It was not immediately clear how long they had been held, but the army routinely detains civilians who have been living in areas that had been ruled by the insurgents on suspicion that they too might be linked to militant activities.

However, rights groups say there is no proper legal process for such civilians, including the children, since they do not get formally charged and some end up in so-called rehabilitation centres, which the groups say are like prisons.

The United Nations says children should not be detained.

"We fear that there are still kids who are being at least temporarily detained because they are being released from Boko Haram areas by the army but then kept for a while," Fontaine, UNICEF'S regional director for Western and Central Africa, told reporters by telephone.

He give no details of the ages of the children or how long they had been at the barracks - but after President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in May 2015, security forces began an offensive, backed by neighbouring countries, to retake territory from Boko Haram, meaning at least some of the children could have been held for a year or more.

There was no immediate comment from the army. Army officials say they need to question civilians to establish whether they have any ties with the militant group, which has been trying for seven years to set up an Islamic state.

The security situation remains volatile in northeastern Borno state and its capital Maiduguri because Boko Haram still stages suicide bombings, often using women or teenagers.

Fontaine also said the conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million, had separated around 20,000 children from their parents, of which 5,000 had since been reunited with their families.

"Once we get children out, there is a major issue of stigmatisation in the communities," Fontaine said. "There is a sense that children who have been associated with Boko Haram for a while, could be, and in some cases we have some evidence, are rejected by community and people around them."

This was also a problem for the girls freed from the town of Chibok, he said. Nigeria this month negotiated, with the help of Switzerland, the release of 21 of more than 200 girls Boko Haram kidnapped in April 2014.

(Reporting by Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Alison Williams)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. </s> ABUJA - Nearly 900 children, including some as young as 13, have been freed by a pro-government militia fighting against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, the UN children’s agency has said.

More than 1,700 children have now been released by Civilian Joint Task Force, a local militia thatworks closely with the military to fight Boko Haram and signed a commitment to end the recruitment and use of children in 2017.

Non-state armed groups embroiled in the decade-long conflict against Boko Haram recruited more than 3,500 children between 2013 and 2017 in Nigeria’s north-east, according to Unicef.

“[This] is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognised and encouraged,” said Unicef’s Nigeria chief, Mohamed Fall, following the children’s release on Friday.

“Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.” The UN’s annual report on children and armed conflict, released last year, found that 1,092 children, the majority of them boys (738), were recruited and used by armed groups in 2017. It described Boko Haram, which has been condemned for its use of children as suicide bombers, as the main perpetrator.

The 894 children, released at a ceremony in the north-eastern town of Maiduguri, were aged between 13 and 19. They were were recruited in 2017.

Children who had been separated from their families will be reunited from Saturday, said Kusali Nellie Kubwalo of Unicef Nigeria, adding that they will also be offered support to get education and training: “There’s an assessment to see what support can be given … whether they want to go back to school, so we can link them to the right school.”

Last October, 833 children were released by the Civilian Joint Task Force, whose commitment to end the recruitment of children was heralded as a landmark moment when the agreement was signed in September 2017, after a year of negotiations with the UN.

Nigeria’s war against two jihadist groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State west Africa province, which has left more than 30,000 people dead and displaced millions more, shows no signs of being resolved.

The Civilian Joint Task Force is formed largely from vigilante groups in response to the Boko Haram insurgency. Some credit the group with protecting communities in areas poorly guarded by the military, but it has also been accused of rape and human rights abuses by Human Rights Watch and other rights organisations.

Unicef’s work in north-east Nigeria has at times angered authorities. In December, the military briefly suspended the agency’s work amid allegations that Unicef staff spied on behalf of militants in the restive region.

The north-east of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and biggest energy producer, is rife with abuses on both sides of the conflict – from the recruitment of children to extrajudicial killings and rapes, according to human rights groups. </s> NEARLY 900 children held by a pro-government militia force fighting Boko Haram insurgents in north eastern Nigeria were freed on Friday, the UN said.

The 894 children, including 106 girls, had been in the ranks of the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a local militia which supports regular soldiers battling the Islamist insurgents. (AFP) </s> Nearly 900 children held by a pro-government militia force fighting Boko Haram insurgents in northeastern Nigeria were freed on Friday, the UN said.

The 894 children, including 106 girls, had been in the ranks of the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a local militia which supports regular soldiers battling the Islamist insurgents.

At a ceremony in the northeastern town of Maiduguri, they were released as part of the CJTF's "commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children," the UN children's agency (UNICEF) said.

"Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict," said UNICEF chief in Nigeria Mohamed Fall.

"They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence."

The CJTF is a militia formed in 2013 to protect communities from attack, but it has also recruited hundreds of children.

In 2017, the militia signed a promise to stop recruiting child soldiers and release the ones they hold.

The children freed on Friday bring the total released since then to 1,727 children, UNICEF said.

It was not clear how many children remain in its ranks, but the UN welcomed the news on Friday.

"Any commitment for children that is matched with action is a step in the right direction for the protection of children's rights, and must be recognised and encouraged," Fall said.

The freed children will be enrolled into a reintegration programme with education and training to help them return to civilian life.

Boko Haram's decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in Nigeria's northeast has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The jihadis have also recruited thousands of children to fight in their ranks.

"We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria," Fall said, noting that children "have been abducted, maimed, raped and killed." </s> Boko Haram has freed several schoolgirls kidnapped from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno State.

While a section of the Nigerian media suggested that about 82 girls were released, Al-Jazeera’s, citing government sources, said only 62 were freed.

About 276 female students were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School on April 14, 2014. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped while being taken away while three others were found or rescued by the military.

On October 13, 2016, 21 girls were freed after the Swiss government and international Committee of Red Cross brokered a deal between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government.

The Nigerian government said in April it was collaborating with “foreign entities” to negotiate for the release of the remaining girls.

“Talks are ongoing through other means with the help of some foreign entities to free more schoolgirls,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said during an interview with BBC Hausa.

“These talks are going on with the help of some countries. You can recall the 21 schoolgirls were freed with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Swiss government officials who got involved in the negotiations. These two have not withdrawn their support in the negotiations,” Shehu said.

“There are also other countries that are lending support to the negotiations by being involved in the talks,” Shehu added.

This post was syndicated from The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper. Click here to read the full text on the original website.

Also, Like us on facebook </s> A government official close to the negotiations told CNN the freed girls are in military custody in Banki town in northeast Nigeria.

They will be transferred to the capital, Abuja, where they will have medical checks and be reunited with their families.

They are believed to be among the 276 girls, ages 16 to 18, forced from their beds by Boko Haram militants in the middle of the night in April 2014. The kidnapping from a boarding school in the town of Chibok sparked global outrage and the social media movement #BringBackOurGirls.

"I am very, very excited with this development. I cannot even sleep tonight," said Yana Galang, whose daughter, Rifkatu, was among the girls kidnapped.

Galang said they don't yet know who has been released, "but we're very happy that many have been freed." "I hope and pray that my daughter is among these released girls," she added. Some Boko Haram suspects being held by the government were released as part of the negotiations, President Muhammadu Buhari's office said Saturday. .@MBuhari After lengthy negotiations,our security agencies have taken back these girls,in exchange for some BokoHaram suspects held by the authorities — Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) May 6, 2017 "The President has repeatedly expressed his total commitment towards ensuring the safe return of the #ChibokGirls, and all other Boko Haram captives," Buhari's office said in a statement. Buhari will meet with the girls in Abuja on Sunday, his office said. As many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately after the mass abduction. The next kidnapped girl wasn't found until May 2016, when she wandered out of a Nigerian forest asking for help, according to witnesses. Another 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls were handed over to authorities in October 2016. The release was the result of a series of negotiations,the government said at the time. </s> LAGOS. — Eighty-two schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group have been released in exchange for the freedom of some Boko Haram suspects, the government said Saturday.

“President (Muhammadu) Buhari is pleased to announce that negotiations to release more of the Chibok girls have borne fruit with the release of 82 more girls today (Saturday) after months of patient negotiations.

“Our security agencies have taken back these abducted girls in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities,” said presidential spokesman Garba Shehu on Saturday. “The girls are due tomorrow (yesterday) in Abuja to be received by the president.

“The president expressed his deep gratitude to security agencies, the military, the government of Switzerland, the Red Cross, local and international NGOs for the success of the operation.”

A government source told Xinhua on Saturday that at least 82 out of the more than 200 Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 in Nigeria’s restive northeastern Borno State had been released.

The source said that the girls were released following negotiations between the extremist group and the Nigerian government. “Yes, 82 girls are freed and they are due to fly to Abuja from Banki town in Borno State,” the source said. “After lengthy negotiations, our security agencies have taken back these girls, in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities.”

AFP understands three Chadian nationals, allegedly senior commanders under Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, were handed over. — Xinhua/AFP/HR. </s> A local militia group that supports the Nigerian government in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents has released nearly 900 children, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said Friday.

UNICEF said the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) released 894 children Friday in the northeastern town of Maiduguri "as part of its commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children."

The CJTF was created in 2013 by a U.S.-led global coalition to help protect communities from attacks by Islamist insurgents in northeast Nigeria. But the militia has also recruited hundreds of children.

"Children in northeast Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict," said UNICEF Nigerian representative Mohamed Fall. "They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence."

The CJTF signed an "action plan" in 2017 that included a vow to stop recruiting child soldiers and to release the ones who were in its fold. Since then, UNICEF said 1,727 children had been released.

UNICEF said the newly-released children will be enrolled in a program to help them transition to civilian life. To help with reintegration, they will receive educational support and vocational training.

Boko Haram has also recruited thousands of children in a decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. Between 2013 and 2017, more than 3,500 children were "recruited and used" by armed opposition groups, UNICEF said. The agency said other children have been killed, raped, maimed and kidnapped.

"We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria," Fall said. </s> Nigeria confirmed Thursday that 21 girls had been released following a prisoner exchange deal struck with Boko Haram. By (AFP/File)

Lagos (AFP) - Here is a snapshot of key events since the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram jihadists from the remote town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria more than two years ago.

Nigeria confirmed Thursday that 21 girls had been released following a prisoner exchange deal struck with Boko Haram.

On April 14, 2014, gunmen from the Islamist group Boko Haram seize 276 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state.

The girls are forced from their dormitories onto trucks and driven into the bush. Fifty-seven girls manage to flee.

An international media campaign is launched, backed by personalities including US First Lady Michelle Obama and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

The hashtag #BringBackOurGirls fires a social media storm that ultimately achieves little.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claims responsibility for the mass abduction in a video released on May 5, and vows to sell the girls as slave brides.

One week later, a second video shows about 100 of the missing girls. Boko Haram says they have converted to Islam and will not be released unless militant fighters held in custody are freed.

On May 17, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria vow to fight Boko Haram together, in what Cameroon President Paul Biya terms a "declaration of war".

The UN Security Council says the kidnappings "may amount to crimes against humanity," as Britain, China, France, Israel and the US offer help.

US military specialists deploy to neighbouring Chad but later move elsewhere after Nigeria stops requesting their services.

On May 26, Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh says the girls have been located but warns a rescue operation would put their lives at risk.

On October 31, Shekau quashes rumours of a deal with Nigerian authorities and says the girls have converted to Islam and been "married off".

On April 14, 2015, Nigeria's president-elect Muhammadu Buhari warns he "cannot promise that we can find" the girls, as vigils are held in many countries to mark their first year in captivity.

Amnesty International believes the girls have been separated into three or four groups and are being held in camps, some of which might be in Cameroon or Chad.

Buhari says in late December he is willing to negotiate with any "credible" Boko Haram leadership, a week after claiming the country has "technically" won the war against Boko Haram.

Throughout 2015, the Nigerian military announces the rescue of hundreds of people, most of them women and children, who have been kidnapped by Boko Haram.

But the missing schoolgirls are not among them, despite several unconfirmed sightings.

Suicide attacks using women and young girls increase against "soft" civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations, fuelling fears that Boko Haram might be using its captives.

In March 2016, it emerges that Boko Haram also seized 500 women and children from the north east town of Damasak in Borno state just months after the Chibok abduction. The kidnapping was denied at the time.

On April 13, 2016, US news channel CNN reports that Boko Haram has sent a "proof of life" video which shows 15 of the girls, the first concrete indication that at least some are still alive.

On May 18, 2016 the Nigerian army confirms the first of the schoolgirls has been found. The 19-year-old, who later met President Buhari, was discovered with a four-month-old baby and a man she described as her husband near Boko Haram's Sambisa Forest enclave.

On October 13, 2016, Nigerian officials announce the release of 21 of the girls following talks between the government and Boko Haram brokered by Switzerland and the International Red Cross. Local sources say four jihadist prisoners were released as part of the deal to secure the girls' release.

The Nigerian government has raised the prospect that more releases could follow, with a senior official in the president's office saying that "the negotiations will continue".
The United Nations and Nigeria come to an agreement to release 876 children being held due to suspicions that they are tied to Boko Haram.