UNICEF says it condemns the abduction of 89 children by an armed group in Wau Shilluk near Malakal County, Upper Nile State.
A UNICEF education team reported that the children were abducted while sitting exams. It says the actual number could be much higher.
It says the boys are as young as 13 years. It’s not clear when exactly the incident occurred.
UNICEF Representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch, urged the group to immediately release the children.
“The recruitment and use of children by armed forces destroys families and communities. Children are exposed to incomprehensible levels of violence, they lose their families and their chance to go to school,” Mr Veitich said in a statement.
He reminded all parties involved in the conflict that the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and groups is a grave violation of international law.