Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 17:23:46 +0300 (BEAUT)
From: IRIN <irin@ocha.unon.org>
To: IRIN - English Service <english@ocha.unon.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1000711172326.17344Y-100000@mail.ocha.unon.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Subject: ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: End to use of child soldiers urged  [2000711]
Precedence: bulk
Sender: IRIN Africa English Service <africa-english@ocha.unon.org>






ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: End to use of child soldiers urged


NAIROBI, 11 July (IRIN) - An international NGO group said on Tuesday that
it hoped the current ceasefire in the border war between Ethiopia and its
northern neighbour, Eritrea, would bring an "immediate" end to the
exploitation of child soldiers and lead to a rapid demobilisation of boys
under 18 bearing arms. 

The UK-based Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, said it had
launched a "special appeal" to the two governments "to ensure that
children take no further part in this armed conflict by ending the
military recruitment of children, demobilising those already serving in
their ranks and releasing into safety child prisoners of war".

Although in Ethiopia the minimum age for military service was 18 and
although such service was not compulsory, over the past two years there
had been "credible" reports that thousands of teenage boys had been
forcibly recruited into the army, especially during preparations for the
offensive launched in May this year. It said the boys recruited allegedly
came from the Oromo and Somali minorities which had been traditionally
sources of political opposition. The government in Addis Ababa has
strongly denied the claims, it said. 

In Eritrea, where military service is compulsory for all males between the
ages of 18 and 40, the coalition said it had been "widely acknowledged"
that children were used as soldiers during the country's independence war
against Ethiopia. But it said it was not clear whether this practice had
continued during the latest conflict. 

"This war has been fought in the fashion of the First World War with
children literally being used as cannon fodder," said Rory Mungoven, the
coalition's London-based coordinator. "The current ceasefire presents an
opportunity to demobilise child soldiers on both sides and ensure no more
children are subjected to this abuse. As a signal of their commitment,
both governments should sign and ratify the new Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child which prohibits the use of children
under 18 as soldiers." Further information can be obtained by consulting
the coalition's website at http://www.childsoldiers.org

[ENDS]

[IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ]






[This item is delivered in the English service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000
 

Subscriber: zdwf-@t-online.de
Keyword: IRIN-CEA