Posted on August 6, 2008

A new report, released recently from the United Nations, cited grave children rights violations - including child soldier recruitment - being committed by all fighting forces in Somalia, including the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), and Al-Shabaab (designated a terrorist organization by U.S. Dept of State in March). From UN.org.

… Mr. Ban called on the TFG and opposition groups to renounce the recruitment and use of children in their armed forces…

• The widespread use of children in almost all fighting forces in the country was noted, particularly in Mogadishu.
• ...children have been used to plant roadside bombs and other explosive devices, leading to a few deaths and several injuries among the children…
• It has been reported that street children are being used for the planting of these devices, frequently without their knowledge.

It has also been reported that Al-Shabaab is training children as young as 8 years of age in special camps to plant bombs and carry out assassinations, offering a financial reward for those acts.

The report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly urges Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government to stop all new recruitment of children and to demobilize unconditionally all children who participate in any capacity in its armed forces.

href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/document/activities/cont/200806/20080623ATT32492/20080623ATT32492EN.pdf" target="_blank">Here is a resolution from the European Parliment on the Routine Killings of Civilians in Somalia from June.

The Rest @ Child Soldier Relief