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UN Slams Sri Lanka for Child Soldiers

The United Nations claim that they hold "strong and credible evidence" that certain groups in the Sri Lankan security forces are supporting and at times, taking part in the abduction and forced recruitment of children soldiers. The group taking part in this atrocity is the "Karuna Faction" a group that broke off from the main Tigers. The children enlisted are used to fight against separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

The UN mission, sent to investigate the situation in the region, have concluded that the group has abducted 135 children since May this year and that this trend is indeed accelerating. The "Karuna Faction" in charge of the atrocity has split out of the main Tigers in 2004. The Tigers are fighting for independence for their ethnic group ? the Tamils. When the "Karuna Faction" defected in 2004 the group leader Karuna left with 6,000 men and has since been fighting with the main group. Representatives of the UN`s children`s fund says that the group has reneged on their promise to release all enlisted children and has since recruited more children. The military "vehemently denies having any involvement whatsoever with the LTTE breakaway group for abductions in Batticaloa,"

The Tigers have been fighting for independence since 1983. More then 65,000 people were killed until the 2002 cease-fire, which both sides claim to honor. Although the Defense Ministry says 3,289 people were killed this year, out of which, 860 government security personnel, 549 civilians and 1,880 rebels.