N'DJAMENA, 24 December 2008 (IRIN) - Ali* once fought with Chadian rebels. In the past two years rebels and the Chadian army vowed to hand over any fighters under the age of 18. More than 500 of these youngsters have been supported by a demobilisation programme run by the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, with its NGO partners. But UNICEF estimates that thousands more children are still being used in conflict in the country.

Ali* – in his teens but he did not wish to give his age – would not speak about what he saw in combat but told IRIN people must do everything possible to shield children from the experience.

"I came to N'Djamena from Fada [town in northeastern Chad] with the rebels when they marched on N'Djamena [in 2006]. I was with my boss, a general. There was a lot of fighting.

"I don't want to talk about what happened back in those days; it was not an easy time. Things are much better for me now and I only wish that if there are other children with rebel groups something can be done to bring them back to their families.

"When it was all over we were taken away by the government because they didn't want children to fight. They helped me to find my uncle. Now I live with my uncle's family.

"I don't talk about my past with just anyone. I talk about what I did only with people who are very close to me. I have two really close friends and we talk. They know my history and I know theirs. I think most of the kids in the neighbourhood understand what happened to me. They don't treat me any differently because of what I did.

"I've been here [at a mechanic's shop] working as an apprentice for seven months. It's a good job. The bit I like best is taking out the engine, having a good look what's going on inside and then putting it back. That's what interests me. I think this is something I can do for the rest of my life; there's a future in it. It's something I can do if I get a chance to travel – in Africa or wherever, really. I'll be a professional car mechanic and earn my living from that.

"I've seen such a big change in my life. There's a huge difference between what I did in my past and what I'm doing now. I really hope other children [recruited to fight] can have this chance too, and in fact I would really like to teach other children to be mechanics. That would be a real way to help them.

"I think it's terrible that there are still children involved in the army and rebel groups. If you see a young person wearing military clothes, carrying a gun, these are children who have lost their lives. They're just being used by their bosses – most of the time they don't even know what they're fighting for. That really touches me on a very deep level. I feel very upset about it.

"Fighting is the last thing that a child should be doing."

*Not his real name

ch/np

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