General Order No. 1

General Order No. 1, adopted in 2011, “Requires all Somali military personnel to prevent recruitment, training, employment, deployment, or providing equipment to any child under age 18. States that any member of the Somali National Armed Forces may be punished for violation of the Order,” as one description of the order notes.[1] However, in the aftermath of this order, the Somali National Army continued to recruit and use children, and there has been a need to strengthen accountability measures for grave violations against children in the country.[2]

[1] “Somalia: Minimal Advancement – Efforts Made but Regression in Policy that Delayed Advanced,” U.S. Department of Labor, 2015, https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/child_labor_reports/tda2015/Somalia.pdf.

[2] See, for example, “Children and Armed Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General,” A/78/842-S/2024/384, June 3, 2024, https://watchlist.org/wp-content/uploads/s_2024.pdf.