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FARC guerillas listen to a talk about the peace process in Colombia

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Colombia鈥檚 government and leftist听FARC rebels have agreed to a roadmap for children under 15听to leave guerilla encampments and re-integrate into civil听society, as part of negotiations aimed at ending Latin America鈥檚听longest war.

The accord is a first step towards all minors leaving rebel听ranks, the two sides said in a joint statement read out at a听news conference in Havana, where they have been negotiating a听peace deal for more than three years.

The FARC has long been accused by the government and human听rights groups of using child solders as cannon fodder.

The rebel group announced last year it would stop recruiting听minors but no deal was reached on handling teenagers and听children already in its ranks.

鈥淭he deal foresees the FARC handing over information听necessary to identify and locate the minors still in these camps听and collaborating with (their) exit,鈥� the government鈥檚 top听negotiator Humberto de la Calle said.

Leila Zerrougui, the听, stressed the importance of getting former child soldiers back into education when she attended the news conference in Cuba.

She said: 鈥淧roper family and community reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups that ensure their protection is an absolutely vital piece of the puzzle.

鈥淲ithout that, there is a heightened risk of these children being re-recruited by other armed groups, which is destabilising for them but also for society as a whole.

鈥淭o make peace truly sustainable, children not only need to be given psychosocial and physical support but also real opportunities to become peaceful, active members of society.

A boy plays in the rubble of a house destroyed by FARC

鈥淔or all children education is key and for older children this is often vocational training 鈥� and I am very pleased to see this as part of the agreement.鈥�

The drug-fuelled civil war in Colombia has killed some听220,000 people and displaced millions of others since 1964.

The FARC鈥檚 forces are estimated at 8000 guerrillas but it听is not known how many might be minors. The group said yesterday there were 21 children under 15 among its ranks.

鈥淲e have agreed with the national government that these听minors cannot be prosecuted and that, as victims of an immense听social and political drama, they will be treated as such and听never as criminals,鈥� FARC lead negotiator Ivan Marquez said.

Under the terms of the deal, the United Nations children鈥檚 agency听 and the will听oversee the procedure to ensure both sides stick to their听promises.

All the illegal armed groups in Colombia 鈥� rebels and听right-wing paramilitaries, along with criminal gangs 鈥� have听forcibly recruited teenagers or taken on under-age volunteers,听especially in remote rural areas with few job opportunities.

The groups use children as messengers, informants, cooks and听porters. FARC rebels also trained them to use weapons, grenades听and mortars and to plant home-made landmines.

Marquez said the FARC had never recruited minors under 15 but many had arrived orphaned by paramilitary violence or听fleeing from 鈥渕istreatment and the absence of a future.鈥�

Poverty and famine among Colombia鈥檚 youth was a greater听problem than the existence of minors in FARC camps, he added.

A deadline for a final peace deal was missed in March, but听Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said last Wednesday his听government hoped to conclude a peace deal with the FARC rebels听鈥渋n the very near future鈥�.听听听

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