Source: News Service (English) Date: March 26, 2013

GENEVA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- About 600,000 children have been affected by the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday.

Marixie Mercado, spokesperson of the UNICEF, told a press conference that over the past three months, communities in most of the rebel-controlled areas had been without access to basic services, including health services and education.

At least 166,000 children are being denied access to education, with schools closed, occupied by armed groups, or without teachers; and an estimated 13,500 children are expected to suffer from malnutrition this year, according to the UNICEF.

Recruitment of children into armed groups is another major risk, Mercado said.

However, humanitarian efforts in the meantime has been hampered by a lack of funding, she said.

Humanitarian agencies launched an appeal of 129 million U.S. dollars for emergency assistance in 2013 in the CAR, however, to date only one percent of this has been received, according to the UNICEF.