{"id":6967,"date":"2020-11-13T22:55:57","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T22:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/?p=6967"},"modified":"2020-11-21T11:11:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T11:11:36","slug":"african-ministers-decry-al-shababs-recruitment-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/2020\/11\/13\/african-ministers-decry-al-shababs-recruitment-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"African ministers decry Al-shabab’s recruitment drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

MOGADISHU —<\/strong> African ministers from countries that are contributing troops to Somalia have expressed concern about the continued recruitment drive by al-Shabab in the Horn of African nation.<\/p>\n

The ministers who met virtually to review the security situation in Somalia in a joint statement issued on Thursday also expressed deep concern over the continued threat posed by al-Shabab and their acquisition of sophisticated weaponry.<\/p>\n

The meeting came amid reports that al-Shabab militants have launched what appears to be a forced recruitment campaign in Somalia’s southern region.<\/p>\n

The group, which controls large parts of southern regions, is reportedly pressuring leaders of local villages to make sure teenagers join its ranks.<\/p>\n

The campaign has prompted hundreds of children to flee areas controlled by al-Shabab.<\/p>\n

“The meeting commended the Federal Government of Somalia for the efforts undertaken towards inclusive politics and welcomed the agreement on the electoral model for the 2020\/21 national elections,” they said in a joint statement issued.<\/p>\n

The meeting re-emphasized the direction of the AU Peace and Security Council and urged the UN Security Council to agree on the modalities for an African Union-United Nations co-leadership in undertaking the independent assessment.<\/p>\n

“Considering the challenges and the strategic issues related to their continued support to Somalia, the meeting agreed to meet again next week,” said the ministers.<\/p>\n

Ministers from Kenya, Djibouti, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Uganda attended the virtual meeting.<\/p>\n

The meeting received a briefing from African Union Mission in Somalia about the prevailing political and security situation in Somalia.<\/p>\n

Source: Xinhua\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Origin: View original<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MOGADISHU — African ministers from countries that are contributing troops to Somalia have expressed concern about the continued recruitment drive by al-Shabab in the Horn of African nation. The ministers who met virtually to review the security situation in Somalia in a joint statement issued on Thursday also expressed deep concern over the continued threat …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news","category-protection-cluster"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t