- United Nations new report has revealed shocking children rights violations perpetrated by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and insurgents.
A report shows that children rights violations ranges from murder and rape to their recruitment as child soldiers and also denial of humanitarian access to those in need.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said level of violations against Somali children has been increasing over the past year, saying widespread violations were recorded in the country’s capital, Mogadishu where children are part of the fighting forces.
Mr Ban called on transitional government and opposition groups to renounce recruitment and use of children in their armed forces, further urging such forces in Somalia to minimise civilian causalities.
He further appealed to authorities in control, backed by Ethiopian forces, to refrain from indiscriminate attacks against civilians, calling on Ethiopian authorities to investigate allegations of grave violations against children by their forces.
Mr Ban said number rape cases and other sexual assaults against children rose from 115 in 2007 to 128 this year.
Since TFG was backed up by Ethiopian troops to oust the Islamic extremists in December 2006, Islamist fighters have used guerrilla warfare to target government installations, and recruiting more child soldiers to win the battle.
Mr Ahmed Dini of Peaceline, a Somali civil society group said most of displaced people camps are mainly children, saying children are most vulnerable during war. "There are no exact figures, but there are probably several thousand children in all the armed groups," added Mr Dini.
Unicef representative, Christian Balslev-Olesen said outside the country’s capital, Mogadishu, hundreds of thousands of children are displaced, many of whom have no access to education.
"The vast majority of cases of sexual violence in Somalia are not reported," said Unicef representative.
Since serious fighting began in early 2007, at least one million Somalis have fled their homes, while an estimated 6,500 civilians have been killed.
Some 2.6 million Somalis need assistance and this figure is expected to reach 3.5 million by tend of the year if the humanitarian situation does not improve.
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afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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