Children play football at a refugee camp set by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Juba, South Sudan, Aug. 17, 2011. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

JUBA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 145 children have been released by armed groups in South Sudan's Greater Pibor Administrative Area, the largest number of children freed since 2015 when 1,775 children were released, UN children's agency UNICEF said.

"Our hope is that the release will be followed by many others so that the 16,000 children who are still in armed forces and armed groups will be able to return to their families," UNICEF's Representative in South Sudan Mahimbo Mdoe said in a statement early this week.

UNICEF said the children released by the Cobra Faction and the SPLA in Opposition (SPLA-IO) were formally disarmed and provided with civilian clothes, adding that medical screenings were conducted and the children registered for a reintegration program.

"With the ongoing fighting across the country, UNICEF continues to receive reports about the recruitment of children in Unity, Jonglei and other states. We urge all parties to abide by international law, to end recruitment and to release children who are currently serving in their ranks," Mdoe said.

"Children in South Sudan need safety, protection and opportunities. Our priority is to get them into school and to provide services to communities so the children are able to see a more promising future," the statement read.

An estimated 16,000 children have been recruited by armed forces and armed groups in South Sudan since the outbreak of fighting in December 2013.

The agency added that more than 800 children are estimated to have been recruited since the beginning of this year, warning that recruitment of children into armed groups continues in South Sudan.