(allAfrica) – The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and the country’s army are in the spotlight for using child soldiers. According to a new United Nations report, Amisom, the Somali National Army and militias allied with it had a combined total of 223 children in their ranks as at the end of 2013, while the Al Shabaab insurgency included 908 children as members. The findings are a huge embarrassment to the UN, whose Security Council authorises Amisom’s operations. Both the US and the European Union, which roundly condemn military roles for boys and girls, contribute substantial funding for Amisom and Somalia’s army.
