Mousorro, Chad, 12 February 2010 - 16 year-old Hameed has a glazed look on his face when he talks about his life as a Chadian child soldier in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
"I've lost count of how many people I have killed and I don't think about it," he says as nervously shuffles his hands and feet.
He ran away from home in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, in 2007 after being bullied and robbed at school. "I felt that there was no justice in this country, so I went to Sudan," he explained.
Hameed said he joined a rebel group as a soldier guarding a barrier on the main road from Chad to Sudan.
"I was given a Kalashnikov by the commander of the rebel group and I was responsible for my group of soldiers."
The teenager jumps up from his seat and points to his hip. "This is how big my gun was," he added.
Returning to a normal life
Hameed said he left the rebel group when things were getting out of control. "There was internal conflict and I got scared so I came back to Chad".
He crossed the border and sought help in the eastern Chadian city of Abeche where the local authorities transported the young man to a training centre in the north-western town of Mousorro.
This is where an identification process by the military begins in order to determine the age of children who've laid down their arms and to get as much information from them to help reunite them with their families.
The procedure is observed and certified by UNICEF staff. "I'm glad that the authorities helped me. I wasn't being paid by the rebel group and left without any money," Hameed said.
The Chadian government gives a payment of 400,000 CFA, about US $900 to those who lay down their arms from the rebellion groups.
"Many of the children that come here are nervous and aggressive. They have seen so much and some have killed people too. This affects their state of mind," Captain Saleh Nangtara with the Chadian military (Garde Nationale et Nomade du Tchad) in Mousorro said.
"I'm a father myself and it's heartbreaking to see what these children have gone through," he added.
While there are no figures on how many Chadian children have been recruited by armed groups in Sudan, the number is thought to be high.
Children are recruited voluntarily, such as in Hameed's case and by force with groups reportedly entering border villages in Chad.
With internal conflict having affected Chad since 2006, cases of recruitment inside the country by armed groups have also been noted.
Supporting the demobilization process
UNICEF and the Government of Chad signed an agreement for the demobilization of child soldiers in May 2007.
This accord follows Chad's commitment at the Paris Protocols, agreed in February 2006, to stop the recruitment of children in armed forces and groups.
To date 795, children who left armed groups, have received assistance from UNICEF as part of the rehabilitation program.
"Following recent positive peace talks between Sudan and Chad, we hope to see more children demobilized in the coming months," Philippe Assale, Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF Chad said.
"However, this year we are in need of more funds to continue this project in order to give these Chadian children a brighter future," he added.
As part of the rehabilitation process Hameed will be taken to a transit care centre run by CARE International and supported by UNICEF in the capital, N'Djamena where he can stay for up to three months.
He will be given the opportunity to study, learn new skills to help him find work in the future and will also receive psycho-social support while his family is traced.
"I miss my family. I think about them all the time. I wonder what they are doing, what they are eating and I wonder if they are ok," Hameed said. "I can't wait to see them".
By Salma Zulfiqar
*The name of this child has been changed to protect his identify