The UN welcomed the Somali government’s agreeing to end the recruitment and use of children in the country’s armed forces. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the so-called “Action plan” agreement, which was signed on Tuesday, outlines the steps that need to be taken to ensure children are not recruited into the army. The Action plan includes commitments from the Somali government to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children, reintegrate children released from the armed forces into the community with the support of the UN, criminalize operations that recruit and use children in the army, and provide the UN with access to every military bases to monitor the process.

The UN said that the agreement is critical and will help greatly with efforts to stabilize Somalia, and hoped that the Somali government will adhere to the agreement to end the killing children in the conflicts.