A/HRC/28/54 included in a political settlement. Protection concerns were included in the Accord de cessation des hostilités en République centrafricaine signed on 23 July 2014. 24. In Sudan, following advocacy by the United Nations, several non-State actors issued command orders or launched internal sensitization campaigns on the protection of children and the prohibition of their recruitment and use. In August 2014, Minni Minnawi, leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, further operationalized its commitment by putting in place a mechanism to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers. A community-based strategic plan was also initiated by Sheikh Musa Hilal and endorsed by the leaders of five tribes. The strategic plan was designed to curb the use of children as fighters in inter- and intra-ethnic clashes. 25. The Special Representative met in Addis Ababa, in May 2014, with the former Vice President of South Sudan and leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition, Riek Machar, to whom she relayed her concerns regarding reports of large numbers of children recruited and used, killed, maimed or raped by his forces. She obtained a signed commitment to end the recruitment and use of children and all grave violations against children, and command orders were issued following the meeting. However, at the time of reporting, the commitment had yet to be implemented and violations against children continued unabated by both sides. 26. In Mali, the joint leadership of the Mouvement national pour la libération de l’Azawad and the Mouvement arabe de l’Azawad signed command orders prohibiting the six grave violations against children and granted screening access to the United Nations. Dialogue with other armed groups is ongoing. Armed groups also came forward in the Syrian Arab Republic, pledging to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children as well as other grave violations, including attacks on schools and hospitals, and the military use of schools. In Yemen, the United Nations country task force on monitoring and reporting engaged with the Al-Houthi armed group and maintained dialogue over a draft action plan, despite the challenging security developments. V. Detention 27. The detention of children without criminal charge or on national security charges constitutes a growing challenge and a grave concern for the Special Representative, and is present in nearly all situations that fall within the scope of her mandate. The challenge has been compounded by the response of governments to extremist groups and the changing perceptions of the status of combatants within the counter-terrorism framework. Governments holding children for their alleged or actual association with radical armed groups no longer view them primarily as victims of armed conflict but often consider the children as security threats. Many counter-terrorism strategies typically comprise the longterm deprivation of liberty and solitary confinement of individuals involved in perceived or actual terrorist activities, which not only violates their rights to a fair trial but also has a particularly devastating psychological impact on children. The impact of treating children recruited and used by armed groups as security threats compounds the challenge of addressing reintegration. 28. The problem of children detained by government authorities is also present in situations in which there is little threat from extremists. Children arrested or captured in the course of more conventional military operations are often held in poor conditions and detained without being brought before a judge or granted access to a lawyer. If children are prosecuted for acts allegedly committed during their involvement with an armed group, the courts do not apply basic standards of fair trial and juvenile justice standards. Military courts are particularly inappropriate forums for hearing cases involving children, given that 8