Armed groups kidnapped at least 1,200 children and young people in Somalia last year and used them as child soldiers.
Geneva – This was reported by the spokesman for the UN children’s fund Unicef in Somalia on Tuesday. The Islamist Al-Shabab militia is primarily responsible, said UNICEF spokesman Victor Chinyama. Other children are at risk because their families are leaving village life due to a severe drought in the Horn of Africa, moving towards cities and often ending up in camps. 500,000 people have already left their residential areas in search of water and food since November.
Chinyama praised a German-funded project to help 25,000 families cope better with shocks such as droughts. This includes help with crops and livestock, school meals, and better water and sanitation to make people healthier and more resilient. The federal government has made 50 million euros available for the three-year program. Chinyama has not yet been able to say whether these families are now getting through the crisis better than others.
Half of Somalia’s under-fives, or 1.4 million children, are at risk of acute malnutrition, Chinyama said. UNICEF urgently needs seven million dollars (almost 6.2 million euros) to order power food for at least 100,000 particularly affected children. (dpa)
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