The UN described this development as a major achievement, reflecting many years of work carried out by the Somali government and its partners.

The UN report on children and armed conflict in Somalia, which was submitted to the Security Council, highlights both the scale of violations committed against children and the efforts being made to prevent them.

According to the report, 8,493 violations were recorded in Somalia between 2021 and 2024, 6,801 of which were committed against children. The most common violations include the recruitment of child soldiers, the abduction of children, and the killing of minors.

Al-Shabaab is responsible for 66% of all verified violations, including increased child recruitment and indoctrination in mosques and Qur’an schools within the areas it controls. Some of the children recruited were as young as 8 years old.

UN agencies have called for an immediate end to the recruitment of children, as well as the protection of schools and health facilities, in order to strengthen systems that prevent such abuses.

Despite the progress made, the UN warned that Al-Shabaab remains responsible for the majority of human rights violations in the country, including killings, abductions, and attacks targeting civilians, aid workers, and government institutions.

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The report which has been published this week highlights the alarming human rights violations persisting in the country, with both Al-Shabaab and the fragmented Somali federal government and its regional states being the primary perpetrators.

The U.S. Secretary of State’s report explicitly identified Somalia as among the countries where governmental armed forces or government-supported armed groups recruited and used child soldiers during the reporting period of April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.

Shockingly, Somalia recruited and utilized hundreds of child soldiers in 2022 alone, marking a grave failure to enforce a critical provision of U.S. law aimed at preventing the exploitation of child soldiers.

Somalia, a significant recipient of U.S. military aid in sub-Saharan Africa, has been allocated roughly $3 billion in U.S. security assistance and support for African Union peacekeeping operations over the past decade. Despite this substantial aid, the recruitment and use of child soldiers persist, casting a dark shadow on the effectiveness of such support.

UN REPORT

The United Nations has also documented a distressing total of 1,094 children, with some as young as eight years old, who were recruited and used by both Al-Shabaab and the Somali government forces, including its regional states.

The plight of children embroiled in conflict is growing increasingly dire, with the United Nations reporting the highest number of grave violations against children in conflict on record in 2022.

According to the UN report, these children were forced into combat, used in support roles, and subjected to unknown purposes, adding to the harrowing realities on the ground.

The responsibility for these grave violations lies with the Somali police force, the national intelligence (NISA), the Somali military (SNA), and regional forces of Puntland, Jubbaland, Hirshabelle, Galmudug, and clan militias, all of whom have been identified as the main perpetrators.

Furthermore, the report revealed a disturbing rise in sexual violence against children, with 221 cases reported, including 219 girls and two boys, victimized by unidentified perpetrators, government security forces, Al-Shabaab, clan militias, and regional forces, as verified by the UN.

The documented cases include incidents of rape, totaling about 146 confirmed cases.

The Biden Administration has yet to demonstrate a clear resolve and effective enforcement to halt child recruitment into the ranks of Somali forces and allied militias.

This failure implicates the administration in violating its own laws and policies, raising concerns about the commitment to address the distressing human rights situation in Somalia.

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