Geneva - Hundreds of children remain soldiers in the service of rebel groups in the Central African Republic, and recent insecurity in the unstable country might harm efforts to ensure their release, UN children's charity UNICEF said Wednesday. So far, the agency has managed to free about 100 child soldiers through negotiations.
Rebel groups and the government are set to meet in early December to continue peace talks.
The UN's Children Fund warned that two attacks last week could undermine progress which has been made over the last year.
"Right now, the country is on the edge," warned Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF's chief in the country, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Chad, all areas with security issues of their own.
About 610,000 people are still affected by conflict in the north, which has seen little improvement in the past year, and nearly 200,000 are internally displaced.
Many others have fled into neighboring states due to conflicts or the rampant banditry which is prevalent in parts of CAR.
For many on the run conditions are rough as the lack of organized camps mean the refugees tend to hide in the bush, without access to basic services.
Mdoe said that this makes it almost impossible for relief organizations to work.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council half of the displaced are children and they regularly suffer from human rights abuses.
The UN appealed for over 160 million dollars last week for humanitarian aid to the country for the next year. It also maintains a peacekeeping force and police training unit in CAR and Chad.
Last year in Brussels donors pledged 600 million dollars to aid the country's government with development work.
