Geneva: A South Sudanese rebel group has freed 250 child soldiers including a girl as young as nine, the UN children's agency said today, but warned that thousands were still being forced to fight.

The rebel Cobra Faction is also set to release another 400 child soldiers in the next two days under a deal with the government, out of total of 3,000 it holds, UNICEF said. However, the scourge of child recruitment is far from over in South Sudan, as some 12,000 youngsters are still fighting in the ranks of the country's warring factions, the UN says.