Armed Groups Raids a South Sudanese School and Abduct 89 children

Armed groups raided a South Sudanese school and seized 89 children who were taking their exams, the United Nations said Saturday. It pointed out that boys were among those taken.

The abduction occurred near Malakal, where thousands of people have taken refuge following months of violence in the nation.

Kidnappers gathered around a community and conducted house-to-house searches, according to the U.N. children's agency. It said boys over age 12 were taken away by force.

U.N. officials warned the abductors that they're violating international law.

"The recruitment and use of children by armed forces destroys families and communities," said Jonathan Veitch, the UNICEF representative in South Sudan.

"Children are exposed to incomprehensible levels of violence, they lose their families and their chance to go to school."