By HAN News Desk
NEW YORK — The United Nations has removed Somalia’s national army and police from its global list of parties accused of recruiting and using child soldiers, marking what officials describe as a significant step forward for the country’s security institutions.
The decision is outlined in the UN’s latest report on Children and Armed Conflict in Somalia, presented to the Security Council. The document reviews violations committed against children and assesses the government’s efforts to prevent abuses in a country still navigating the consequences of decades of unrest.
According to the report, the UN documented 8,493 grave violations against children between 2021 and 2024, with 6,801 of those cases directly targeting minors. The most common abuses involved the recruitment and use of children in armed groups, the abduction of minors and the killing or maiming of children. UN officials say Somalia’s removal from the list reflects improved screening processes, enhanced training for security forces and strengthened accountability mechanisms within government institutions.
Despite the progress attributed to Somali security forces, the report warns that the militant group Al-Shabaab remains the primary perpetrator of violations against children. The group is responsible for 66% of all verified cases and continues to forcibly recruit children, some as young as eight. The UN says Al-Shabaab uses mosques, Qur’anic schools and other religious centres in areas under its control to indoctrinate and recruit young people. The organisation is also accused of carrying out killings, abductions, attacks on civilians and assaults on humanitarian workers and government targets.
The UN is urging all parties to the conflict to halt the recruitment and use of children and to take stronger measures to protect civilian areas, including schools and health facilities, which remain vulnerable to attack. It also calls for greater investment in community-based prevention programmes, as well as support for the demobilisation and long-term rehabilitation of children affected by the conflict.
While Somalia’s removal from the UN list marks notable progress, the report stresses that protecting children in conflict-affected areas continues to be one of the country’s most urgent and difficult challenges.
