The United Nations Children’s Fund has disclosed that Terrorists of the Boko Haram sect have used a total of 117 children, mainly girls, to carry out suicide bomb attacks in public places across Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon since 2014.
UNICEF consequently called for stoppage of recruitment and use of children in armed conflict as so-called ‘suicide bombers’.
In a report titled ‘Silent Shame: Bringing out the voices of children caught in the Lake Chad Crisis, UNICEF said, “So far, 117 children have been used to carry out bomb attacks in public places across Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon since 2014: four in 2014, 56 in 2015, 30 in 2016 and 27 only in the first three months of 2017.
“Girls have been used in the vast majority of these attacks. The number of children used in ‘suicide’ attacks in the Lake Chad conflict has surged to 27 in the first quarter of 2017, compared to nine over the same period last year,” the report noted.
According to UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier: “In the first three months of this year, the number of children used in bomb attacks is nearly the same as the whole of last year – this is the worst possible use of children in conflict.”
“These children are victims, not perpetrators,” says Poirier. “Forcing or deceiving them into committing such horrific acts is reprehensible.”
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The report which was released three years after the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, gives troubling accounts by children who were held in captivity at the hands of Boko Haram.
It shows how these children are met with deep suspicion when they return to their communities.
The report highlights the challenges that local authorities face with children who have been intercepted at checkpoints and taken into administrative custody for questioning and screening, raising concerns about the prolonged periods of custody.
In 2016, almost 1,500 children were under administrative custody in the four countries.
UNICEF called for called for an end to the grave violations against children by Boko Haram through stoppage of recruitment and use of children in armed conflict as so-called ‘suicide bombers’.
The UN body called for commitment from all parties involved in the conflict to protect children in the region noting that the movement of children from military to civilian environment should be effected as quickly as possible.
It said, “Children who have been taken into custody solely for their alleged or actual association to armed groups should be immediately handed-over to civilian authorities for reintegration and support.
“Handover protocols should be in place in each of the four countries for children encountered during military operations. All children affected by the crisis need psychosocial support and safe spaces to recover.”
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