Armed groups recruit 10,000 child soldiers in Central African Republic – NGO

An Anti-balaka child soldier wears lucky charms around his neck while he poses for a picture in Ouengo district, 7th arrondissement in Bangui, January 12, 2014. REUTERS/Emmanuel Braun

DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Up to 10,000 children have been recruited by armed groups during the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) despite a U.N.-backed peacekeeping presence, the number rising sharply in the past two years, Save the Children said on Thursday.

Some children were abducted or forced to join such groups, while others signed up for food, clothing, money and protection, the international children's charity said in a news release.