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As the rest of the world worries over economic indicators and low consumer demand, children are being recruited to fight in the continuing blood-soaked genocide of Darfur. From Reuters;Up to 6,000 child soldiers, some as young as 11, have been recruited by rebels and government forces in Sudan's Darfur conflict, the United Nations said.I previously posted about children's drawings being used as proof of war crimes- now the children themselves are doing the fighting. With the economies of most of the world powers on the brink of another Great Depression, it's unlikely anyone will jump up and expend the massive amounts of money needed to change the situation militarily.
Youngsters have repeatedly been seen carrying weapons, even though Sudanese law and international agreements banned the use of children in conflicts, the head of the U.N. children's fund (UNICEF) in Sudan Ted Chaiban told reporters late on Monday.
Chaiban said UNICEF had evidence that all of Darfur's main rebel groups used children, including the powerful Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the faction of the Sudan Liberation Army led by Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur.
Government forces, including the army, the police, Darfur's Central Reserve Police and state-allied militias had also recruited under-18s, Chaiban said.
"All the armed factions and groups in Darfur have used children ... We have seen children in uniform and children carrying weapons with virtually all the forces," he said.
"An 11-year-old in this sort of situation basically loses their childhood. It dehumanizes them."
Hey, at least they have combat camels! Thanks, India.
So the world continues to watch, silently, as the tribal conflict in the Sudan destroys a new generation and "dehumanizes" any hope of a peaceful future in the region. What will it take to stop the bloodshed? Will anyone try before most of the population is hacked to death by Janjaweed monsters?
