THE United Nations said yesterday that hundreds of child soldiers had been freed in South Sudan over the last three days.

A nine-year-old girl was among those freed in the largest release of child fighters in the new nation.

It was the third release by the South Sudan Democratic Army (SSDA) Cobra faction since its leader David Yau Yau made peace with the government in May last year.

On Saturday, 654 children were registered with the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef), bringing the total freed by the SSDA since January to 1,314.

Unicef spokesman John Budd explained that “because there are so many, it was impractical to release them all on one day.”

Some 250 children were released on Saturday, with the remainder freed on Sunday and Monday.

The children exchanged their weapons and uniforms for civilian clothes at a formal ceremony in Lekuangole, a town in in Jonglei state.

The faction has told Unicef that it will free up to 3,000 children.

Unicef is providing the former fighters with food, shelter and psychosocial support while it traces their families.

Of the 660 children freed in earlier demobilisations, 200 have been reunited with or are close to being reunited with their families.

South Sudan won independence in 2011 after decades of war with Khartoum.

But a civil war began in December 2013 after fighting erupted between President Salva Kiir’s forces and those loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar.

More than 12,000 children have since been recruited into armed groups, Unicef says.