France welcomed on Friday the release of several hundred children by armed groups in Central African Republic.

"France welcomes the May 14th release, in the Bambari region, of several hundred children by Central African armed groups, in line with commitments undertaken at the Bangui Forum under the auspices of UNICEF," read a statement by the foreign ministry.

"This is an important new step toward peace," the statement described the release.

"We call on all armed groups to follow suit and to do the right thing for the Central African Republic."

More than 350 children have been released by armed groups in CAR under a UN-brokered deal to free thousands of young people who have been forced to work as soldiers, sex slaves and servants during the country’s sectarian conflict.

On Thursday, 357 children aged between eight and 18 – including more than a dozen girls – were released in three separate ceremonies near the town of Bambari, about 200km north of the capital, Bangui.