“Systematic recruitment of children” rising, Amnesty says
Islamist militias are recruiting Somalian children to their ranks, according to Amnesty International. Tens of thousands of people have died from malnutrition in famine-stricken Somalia, while fighting has intensified in its capital, Mogadishu. Civil war has raged for two decades in the country, which hasn’t had a working central government since 1991. The “systematic recruitment of children” is increasing amidst dire living conditions, the human rights organization says. Many of the children are under the age of 15. The U.S. was once Somalia’s largest contributor of humanitarian aid, but has reduced funding by 88 percent, according to the UN. The drop in aid is attributed to fears of diversion of aid by Islamist militants.