An armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Mozambique used boys as young as 13 to raid and loot the town of Macomia, in Cabo Delgado province, on May 10, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. It is unclear if the children also engaged in fighting against government armed forces. The recruitment and use of children under age 15 as child soldiers is a war crime.

The armed group, known locally as Al-Shabab, attacked Macomia to loot shops and warehouses before targeting government forces’ positions in the town, triggering heavy fighting. Several witnesses, including relatives of the boys, told Human Rights Watch that among the Al-Shabab fighters who took part in the raid were dozens of boys carrying ammunition belts and AK-style assault rifles. Two people from the same family said they recognized their 13-year-old nephew among the children.

“The armed group Al-Shabab’s use of children as soldiers is cruel, unlawful, and only adds to the horrors of Cabo Delgado’s conflict,” said Zenaida Machado, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Al-Shabab should immediately release all children in their ranks and stop any further recruitment.”

Human Rights Watch spoke by phone with six residents who witnessed the Macomia raid, as well as two humanitarian aid workers in the region. They said that the fighters, including dozens of boys, arrived in the town at around 4 a.m. on May 10. They were divided into at least three groups of “hundreds,” witnesses said. One group wandered around the town, speaking to residents and looting shops and warehouses.

Footage seen by Human Rights Watch, and now widely shared on social media, appeared to show some of the fighters, including a child, carrying guns and freely moving near a local market. According to witnesses and media reports, a second group engaged in fighting against joint South African and Mozambican army troops stationed in the town, while a third group blocked the main road to Macomia, where they reportedly ambushed military vehicles carrying South African troops serving with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).

President Filipe Nyusi confirmed the raid, which took place in an area that the Southern African military mission previously controlled. The military mission is gradually withdrawing from the country ahead of a July deadline.

More than 700 people fled the fighting that started on May 10 and continued through May 12, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Some of the displaced sought to hide in the surrounding forests according to press reports and footage shared online. At least 10 people, mostly soldiers, were reportedly killed in the fighting.

One of the people who hid in surrounding forests was the 22-year-old trader, Abu Rachide. He told Human Rights Watch that upon arrival in the town, fighters engaged peacefully with people and told residents not to fear or flee as they had “come only for the food.” He said: “I and my sister decided to flee anyway because we didn’t want to take risks, but many people stayed behind.”

Abu Rachide said that he saw dozens of children among the fighters, including his 13-year-old nephew who had been missing since a January 10 attack in Mucojo. “I saw him with my own eyes carrying a big gun and ammunition belt and acting like a confident big man,” Abu Rachide said. When he called out to his nephew, Abu Rachide said, the boy waved at him and then continued on his mission.

Abu Rachide’s sister, Aida, confirmed his account. “The boy seemed very comfortable carrying a gun and taking instructions from the [older ones],” she said. “I kept wondering how he became a fighter like that in just four months.”

A 47-year-old trader, Jamal Jorge, who decided to stay in the market to monitor events, said most of the fighters were children and young men who spoke Swahili and Kimwani, a language spoken on the coast of Cabo Delgado. He said he saw more than 20 children among the fighters. “There in the market, I only saw children, some a bit older, maybe 17 or 20 years,” he said. “But to me, most of them were children not older than 16 years.”

Al-Shabab fighters occupied Macomia town for more than 24 hours, abandoning the area on the afternoon of May 11, then moving toward Mucojo, various sources said. Before departing the town, they looted food from various shops and warehouses of humanitarian groups, two humanitarian workers said. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders or MSF) said it had suspended its activities in Macomia following the violence.

Mozambique’s Al-Shabab have long used children in combat. In 2021, Human Rights Watch reported that the group was kidnapping boys and using them to fight government forces in violation of the international prohibition on the use of child soldiers.

The United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, which Mozambique ratified in 2004, prohibits non-state armed groups from recruiting children under 18. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court categorizes as a war crime the conscription, enlistment, or active use of children under age 15 in active hostilities during armed conflict. The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child further notes that non-state armed groups are bound by international humanitarian law.

“Al-Shabab’s ability to recruit, train and use child soldiers across Cabo Delgado is very concerning,” Machado said. “The Mozambican authorities, armed groups, and international partners should step up their efforts to ensure that children stay safe in school and at home and keep children off the battlefield.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

About20,000 migrants, including more than 1,500 children, arrived in Spain in the first four months of 2024, with 80% headed to the Canary Islands, making it the most heavily used migration route to Europe so far this year, Save the Children said. 

Even though migrant crossings to Spain usually decrease in winter, this year has seen a record number of arrivals, with a 190% increase compared to the same period last year, raising fears that the number will rise significantly over the summer months.

The surge in arrivals can be attributed to political and economic instability, hunger, and the escalating climate crisis, which are driving an increase in migration worldwide. According to the United Nations, 20 million people are forced to flee their homes annually due to extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts, torrential rains, and desertification.

About four in five migrants who arrived in Spain this year – almost 16,000 – travelled to the Canary Islands from West Africa. With the sea route from West Africa to the Canary Islands  highly dangerous,  an average of 16 fatalities per day were recorded in 2023, resulting in over 6,000 lives lost.

Bárbara González del Río, Migration Specialist at Save the Children Spain, said: “If over 1,500 migrant children have already arrived in Spain this year, we anticipate a significant increase in crossings during the summer months, potentially surpassing last year’s record influx of over 5,100 minors. As long as there is a need in the countries of origin, people will continue to move, and the migratory flow towards Europe will continue to exist.

“With over 5,700 migrant children already under guardianship in the Canary Islands, support systems are overwhelmed. Urgent action is needed from other communities to alleviate this critical situation. The Spanish government and autonomous communities must swiftly find solutions.

“We cannot forget that these children are fleeing conflict, hostile environments, and hunger. Our obligation to the children who arrive in our country is to care for them in a way that is adapted to their needs and to ensure that their rights are guaranteed.”

Save the Children is calling on the government of Spain to prioritise the protection and reception of migrant children by:

swiftly identifying vulnerable individuals, such as potential trafficking victims
ensuring unaccompanied minors are evenly disrupted between different communities to avoid overwhelming support systems
scaling up support systems for unaccompanied migrants to ensure their successful integration into society.

Save the Children Spain works in coordination with other organisations and local administrations to meet the specific needs of migrant children. Save the Children also provides safe places where young migrants who’ve gone through the protection system and have been left without the proper resources to transition to adult life, find a job, learn Spanish and continue studying if they wish to do so.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.

On May 14, 2024, Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu and Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone Victoria Mangay Sulimani held consultations on UN Security Council issues in Beijing.

The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the current international situation, the work of the Security Council, the UN Summit of the Future, and international and regional hotspot issues, and agreed to further strengthen coordination and cooperation, jointly practice true multilateralism, and promote the better fulfillment of the duties mandated by the UN Charter on the Security Council, and play a positive and constructive role in maintaining international peace and security.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

Kenya must develop a tea brand that will fetch the best prices for farmers, President William Ruto has said.

The President said Kenya’s tea should be branded to increase its visibility in the global market and labelling it with a mark of origin.

Saying Kenya’s tea industry is a significant contributor to the economy, the President pointed out that brand sustainability is very crucial in a competitive business environment.

Speaking at State House Nairobi when he met Kenya Tea Development Agency factory chairmen and directors on Tuesday, President Ruto expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, saying Kenya continues to sell unprocessed tea and denying farmers the best prices in the market.

“We are the largest tea producer in the world, yet we don’t have a Kenyan tea brand and, therefore, our product gets lower prices than countries that produce less than we do,” said President Ruto.

He told the leaders of tea factories to set up common user facilities and told them he expects the country to be exporting at least 60 per cent of processed and branded tea in between three and five years.

“Last year, we did away with taxes on packaging materials for tea. We, therefore, have to expand common user facilities and add value to our tea,” President Ruto said.

He added: “We cannot continue exporting our tea in sacks. In three years, we must export 60 per cent of value-added and branded tea. KTDA and the Tea Board of Kenya must work together in branding our tea.”

Responding to issues raised by the leaders, the President promised to operationalise the Tea Tribunal within three months.

President Ruto agreed with the leaders that tea factories which have invested in hydro- power stations must be paid for the power they sell Kenya Power and Lighting Company.

He also said the Kenya Forest Service and KTDA will sign an agreement through which tea factories will take part in the country’s 15 billion tree-planting programme, and also be able to harvest trees in various forests for their wood fule.

He said KTDA cannot continue to charge farmers a management fee of 2.5 per cent and directed that it be reduced to 1.5 per cent.

“We will meet here in three months to assess the progress in resolving all the issues you have raised,” he told the tea leaders.

The Head of State asked KTDA to hold free and fair elections, and emphasised that the government has no preferred candidates.

Present at the meeting were Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho), Senator Kamau Murango (Kirinyaga) and MPs GG Kagombe (Gatundu South), Gitonga Mukunji (Manyatta), Brighton Yegon (Konoin) and Zaheer Jhanda (Nyaribari Chache), among others.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.