A Human Rights Watch report on the treatment of children by the warring parties in Somalia - notably al-Shabaab - carries grim echoes of the methods of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda:
The Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab has increasingly targeted children for recruitment, forced marriage, and rape, and attacked teachers and schools, Human Rights Watch said....
Since Somalia’s conflict intensified in 2010 and 2011, al-Shabaab has increasingly forced children, some as young as 10, to join its dwindling ranks. After several weeks of harsh training, al-Shabaab’s child recruits are then sent to the front lines, where some serve as “cannon fodder” to protect adult fighters, Human Rights Watch found. Others have been coerced into becoming suicide bombers.A 15-year-old boy told Human Rights Watch that in 2010, “Out of all my classmates – about 100 boys – only two of us escaped, the rest were killed. The children were cleaned off. The children all died and the bigger soldiers ran away.”
Al-Shabaab has also abducted girls for domestic and front-line service, as well as to be wives to al-Shabaab fighters. Families who try to prevent their children’s recruitment or abduction by al-Shabaab, or children who attempt to escape, face severe consequences and even death.
Fortunately for the young people of Somalia, help is at hand. Mary Robinson has been on a visit. You remember Mary Robinson? One of Jimmy Carter's Elders - "an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who work together for peace and human rights". Who can forget their triumphant success in North Korea?
Here she is at CiF, eagerly anticipating a forthcoming London conference, where all the problems will finally be hammered out over tea and canapes:
The Somali people are incredibly resilient...
Well these native people are, aren't they? It's inspiring, really.
The safety of Somalia civilians should be paramount. In recent months an expanding international military intervention has intensified fighting in Somalia with ordinary Somalis caught up in the cross fire once again. Military action is worsening the humanitarian situation, endangering lives and denying vulnerable Somalis access to desperately needed life-saving assistance.
For the last two decades numerous external military, political and counter-terrorism interventions have failed to bring peace and stability to Somalia, with civilians, most notably women and children, suffering from the worst impacts of these policies.
It is imperative that all discussions held during this conference have the protection of those ordinary people at the core of decisions and that all parties in Somalia are held accountable for human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. Decisions-makers should be cognisant of the human impact of any decisions or outcomes emanating from the conference in London.
Without forward-looking solutions to build the resilience of Somalia and other countries in the Horn of Africa from natural disaster, we will continue to see millions at risk of hunger. Long-term measures need to be put in place to ensure these countries can combat the extreme effects of climate change, which is currently devastating livelihoods. Political will and innovative solutions are needed by the leaders at the London Conference to address food insecurity, including investment in small-holder agriculture and pastoralist livelihoods. Somalia also needs to be given the opportunity to rebuild its infrastructure, hospitals and schools, without which sustained development cannot take place.
And, most importantly, all policies decided in London must be in the interest of the Somali civilians.
I'm sure al-Shabaab will indeed be cognisant of the human impact of any decisions or outcomes emanating from the conference in London, and will readily embrace the long-term measures needed to be put in place to ensure that Somalia can combat the extreme effects of climate change. No strangers to political will and innovative solutions themselves, there can be little doubt of the enthusiasm which which they'll welcome the opportunity to rebuild Somalia's infrastructure, hospitals and schools, without which, as they'll be the first to recognise, sustained development cannot take place.
Where would we be without the Elders?
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