Rwanda wants genocide children returned

The Rwandan government has called for international help to secure the return of an estimated thirty-thousand children who were flown out of the country during the 1994 genocide.

Some of the children were flown to safety by international charities and have since been adopted in countries such as Italy, Belgium and France.

Thousands of others are in nearby African states.

But the authorities in Rwanda say many of the children still have parents or family who want them back and that any adoptions need the consent of relatives and the Rwandan government.

The issue was discussed at the opening of a five-day conference on children's rights in Rwanda. The conference heard that during the confusion of the genocide, some children were separated from their parents.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service