Large numbers of children in Mali have been severely affected by the conflict in the north of the country, the UN's annual report on children and armed conflict says. Children make up more thant half of 15.8 million Mali's population. For the first time the country is listed as one of the countries where armed groups recruit and abuse children. Leïla Zerrougi, the UN special representative on children and armed conflict, gives more harrowing details.
