Yaregal Kinfe is a resident of Addis Ababa. He is a producer of educational radio program with Addis Ababa Education Bureau.
As he said, he always follows the news developments in the northern part of Ethiopia and understands the situation. He also understands as the remnants of the terrorist TPLF recruits child soldiers, anaesthetize them with drugs and involve them in the warfront aiming to score victory against the Ethiopian armies, gain control and planning to come back to power which is inconceivable at all.
“I have read that the minimum age for military service in Ethiopia starts at the age of 18 and anyone who is interested to join the military could meet the set criteria.”
However, the terrorist TPLF in a manner it does not go along with country’s law and violates the international law of war, it engaged underage children in to the war. It is noted that the terrorist while it was in power had been ruling the land with an iron fist through its ethnic based federalism system that was practiced without democracy, he said.
The government has declared unilateral ceasefire in the northern part of the country to enable farmers plough their lands, humanitarian assistance delivered accordingly without the presence of the defense force and give time for the communities to reconsider the challenges that are created in the State. However, the unilateral ceasefire is taken as a “joke” by the terrorists. Thus, the remnants have kept on fighting by engaging children and women, he added.
There are “credible” reports that thousands of children and women had been forcibly deployed into the army, especially during the past six weeks many are recruited under forced conscription. This is entirely unacceptable.
“I am witnessing that numerous countries and international organizations do not come out and boldly condemn this illegal act. Rather, they have continued blaming the Federal Government.
In recent news developments, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) has adopted a quickly baked EU sponsored resolution on violations of human rights in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, it never uttered a sentence on TPLF’s recruitment and deployment of child soldiers at the battlefront. Silence on this, contrary to the international law, is no less than endorsing inhumane action. Besides, the global human rights organization has become a tool for serving EU political objectives shrouded by a false commitment to human rights.
International NGOs, which are well known across the globe for fighting on the legal rights of children and minors, turn a deaf ear to child soldiers recruited in Tigray to fight against Ethiopian federal forces. The International Criminal Court (ICC) that has sentenced a number of criminals to long years in jail is also silent on the unfortunate situation of girls and boys in Tigray forcefully being recruited and deployed to battle fronts. Similarly, international advocacy groups are silent on the issue; but all these organizations have regrettably listed Ethiopia as one of the countries in which genocide is conducted with no reference to the remnants of this terrorist enterprise, he remarked.
“The USA and EU betrayed the people of Ethiopia by openly siding with the terrorist through their media outlets and providing diplomatic support. The government of Ethiopia has verified evidence that vehicles meant for transporting food and non-food items are being used to deliver satellite phones and armaments for the remnants working with this terrorist organization to destroy the statehood of Ethiopia. Particular officials in EU leadership and the USA speak about human rights violations in Ethiopia while keeping dead silence on the crimes the terrorists are committing against humanity.”
Western media outlets, including New York Times and AP, are trying to hide the crimes against humanity in Tigray and embolden terrorism to take over Ethiopia by glamorizing on the felonious actions of the group in deploying underage children to the battle front. Commercial media outlets may not be expected to advocate for child soldiers as long as they are paid to cover it up, he reiterated.
Ermiyas Wolle, Editor at The Addis Ababa Education Bureau for his part said that it hurts to learn and see what is happening to fellow citizens. It is a crime against humanity. Letting children to partake in the arm conflict is totally violating international law.
“I had learnt that each of the woredas situated in Tigray State are forced to contribute 3-5 thousands of soldiers where most of them are believed to be underage children.
The international communities have gathered substantial documents that the terrorist TPLF is sending child soldiers to warfronts; but the call of the government of Ethiopia on this same issue fall on deaf ears of the organizations.
“I am tired of seeing some of the developed world’s double standard towards realities on the ground, and I wonder why they did to us,” Ermiyas remarked.
Children should go to school; not to warfronts. Deploying child soldiers is an act that is equivalent to genocide. Unless, we protect and take care of children, the sustainability of the generation would be dubious and the final outcome will be zero-sum game. So, the act of the terrorist group should be discouraged, condemned and those who are behind should be accountable for violating international law and children convention.
The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child to which Ethiopia is a signatory strongly prohibited using children as soldiers. Article 38 of the Convention urges the signatory states and pertinent stakeholders to translate the Convention accordingly and protect children from such humanitarian crisis.
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
The Ethiopian Herald 29 July 2021
