The United Nations says 85 children have been released from detention in South Sudan as part of efforts to ease crowding in jails during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some 11 others will remain in prison because of the severity of their alleged offences.

The UN children’s fund (Unicef) said those who had been freed were reunited with their parents or legal guardians.

It said prisons in South Sudan were overcrowded, with inadequate sanitation and healthcare – conditions highly conducive to the spread of Covid-19.

The country does not have a juvenile justice system, with many children locked in jail with adults, often for minor offences.