GREAT LAKES: UN documents use of child soldiers

Rebel groups and government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi are among those named in a new report by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, for their use of child soldiers. "This report breaks new ground," said Olara Otunnu, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for children and armed conflict. "For the first time in an official report to the Security Council, those who violate standards for the protection of war-affected children have been specifically named and listed." Limited to the countries on the Security Council's agenda, the report names 23 groups in five countries, comprising Liberia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Burundi and the DRC. As well as the government of Burundi, the country's two main rebel groups are named - the Forces mationales de liberation, and the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour la defense de la democratie. In the DRC, the government, the Mouvement de liberation du Congo, the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), RCD-Nationale, RCD-Kisangani-Mouvement pour la liberation, the Union des patriotes congolais, Patrick Masunzu's Banyamulenge forces in South Kivu, Lendu militias, ex-Forces armees rwandaises, the Interahamwe and Mayi-Mayi militias are also listed. The report noted that the use of child soldiers had long been documented in countries such as Colombia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sudan and Uganda, yet because these countries were not on the Security Council agenda, they were excluded form the list. "We urge the Security Council to actively monitor the countries named on the Secretary-General's list, and to demand progress or suffer possible sanctions," commented Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch. "The Security Council should also expand its scrutiny to include all countries where children are being recruited or used in violation of international law." The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (CSUCS) called upon the Security Council not to let the landmark "naming and shaming" list become yet another "paper substitute" for firm actions to confront those who continued to exploit children as soldiers. CSUCS has documented the use of child soldiers by 72 parties in 25 countries.