UNICEF condemns child killings

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has condemned attacks targeting children in Somalia. It described the recent killing of three schoolgirls and the hijack of a bus carrying children as "abominable acts". "These incidents dramatically highlight the need for Somalis to halt the escalation of conflict in central and southern Somalia, which have seen growing levels of trauma and violence, increasingly targeting small children," UNICEF said in a statement. Its Somalia representative Jesper Morch urged Somali leaders, currently holding peace talks in Kenya, to ensure all children were protected against violence. Over the past few months, the statement noted, there had been an increase in kidnappings and killings of children in Somalia. "These incidents are the latest in a worrying pattern that includes killings, kidnappings and attacks targeting children in Mogadishu and other vulnerable places in central and southern Somalia since late last year," the statement said.