'No trials' for Leone child soldiers

Children fight on both sides of the conflict

The United Nations Security Council has recommended that child soldiers in Sierra Leone not be prosecuted for war crimes, but should face a truth and reconciliation commission instead.

The recommendation runs counter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's position that people as young as 15 be put on trial if accused of war crimes.

Kofi Annan wanted to cast a wide net

The UN legal department had sided with Mr Annan, while the body's children's agency Unicef expressed concern about trying young people.

The Security Council also rejected Mr Annan's proposal for mandatory funding of a Sierra Leone war crimes tribual, saying a court should rely on voluntary donations.

Among worst offenders

Child soldiers are believed to have committed some of the worst crimes in Sierra Leone's civil war, including the deliberate mutilation of civilians.

Many children have been forced by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to serve as fighters.

The UN estimates that there are 5,400 child soldiers in Sierra Leone.

Mutilation is a common tactic

In October, Mr Annan proposed setting up a court to try those "most responsible" for war crimes in the country's nine-year-long civil war.

The Security Council responded in a letter to the secretary-general that prosecutors should focus on those "who bear the greatest responsibility" for atrocities.

The subtle difference in wording means that the Security Council favours prosecuting many fewer people than Mr Annan does.

The Security Council wording makes it "highly unlikely [a tribunal] would hit those under 18", an unnamed US official told the news agency Reuters.

Lack of UN funding would make it unlikely that prosecutions would hit anyone at all, Mr Annan has warned.

In October, he said a court "based on voluntary contributions would be neither viable nor sustainable."

The Rwandan and Balkan war crimes tribunals are funded from mandatory fees levied on all UN members.