GENEVA 

UNICEF said Tuesday that leaders of armed groups in the Central African Republic agreed to release all children in their forces and promised to immediately end child recruitment. 

“More than two years of violence in the Central African Republic has created one of the world’s worst -- and least visible -- humanitarian crises," UNICEF said in a statement.

"An estimated 6,000 to 10,000 children are currently associated with the country’s armed factions," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said during a press conference in Geneva.

The children include combatants, minors used for sexual purposes, messengers, as well as those working as cooks and in other roles, Boulierac said.

"In 2014, UNICEF and partners secured the release of over 2,800 children in the Central African Republic, including 646 girls, from armed groups," Boulierac added.