At least 4,563 children have been reunited with their families in South Sudan, some of them after years of separation, the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) said.

"Since 2013, we have reunified 4,563 children with their families," UNICEF spokesman Timothy Irwin on Tuesday.

“9,046 cases of children also remain active and open requiring ongoing interim care and family tracing services," Irwin added.

He added that an estimated 900,000 children have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, with 14,628 identified as separated and missing from their families since December 2013, putting them at risk of abuse.

Nearly 1,200 children were killed as a direct result of combat, according to UNICEF. In addition, more than 16,000 children have been recruited as soldiers since the outbreak of South Sudan’s civil war between the government and rebel groups in December 2013.

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