Photo:webshot.

October 6, 2021

Andrew Campbell 

The United Nations has revealed an increase in the use of children in armed groups and violations committed by Al-Shabaab militants in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado region, such as kidnapping and sexual violence. According to UNICEF officials, thousands of children are at risk in a region of northern Mozambique controlled by militants.

Since the beginning of the insurgency in 2017, the Cabo Delgado province, the epicenter of the violent conflict, has seen over 800,000 people displaced, over 2,500 civilians killed. Despite the fact that humanitarian access is gradually improving in Cabo Delgado, an unidentified video shows abducted children as young as five years old handling weapons and being forced to fight.

Cabo Delgado is one of Mozambique's poorest provinces, with high rates of illiteracy and unemployment. The discovery of a massive ruby deposit and a massive gas field in 2009-10 raised hopes of jobs and a better life for many locals, but those hopes were quickly dashed. The conflict revolves around multinational corporations gaining control of the province's mineral and gas resources.

According to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, the recruitment and use of children by armed groups exposes them to immense levels of violence; they lose their families, safety, and the opportunity to attend school. The use and recruitment of children as fighters is a serious violation of international law.