Far North: Government releases 84 detained children

Amnesty international recently announced that Cameroonian authorities were carrying out the release of 84 Nigerian children detained in the far north of the country.

According to Amnesty International, the Cameroonian authorities are conducting the release of 84 children, detained for six months in the far north of the country, following raids by the defense and security forces.

"Even if they should never have been detained this long, we look forward to seeing that the Government makes the right decision. It has always been advocated that the respect for human rights will be at the heart of any effort to protect the civilian population against Boko Haram," said Steve Cockburn, Deputy regional director of Amnesty international for West and Central Africa.

He later added that the release of these children, who will join their families, can be considered the first in a series of acts.

As a reminder, on June 20, Amnesty international announced that 84 children who are mostly Nigerians and 43 minors, were detained at the centre for minors in Maroua, capital of the region of the far North. They were arrested on December 20, 2014 at Guirvidig by the security forces in local schools.

Out of the 84 children, 41 have already reached the homes of their parents. The Cameroonian authorities believed the schools served as aid camps to cover the recruitment of Boko Haram members.