Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Monrovia (Fides Service) - “Children killing other children”. This is the war in Liberia according to a Human to Rights Watch report issued today Monday 2 February. According to the United Nations in the last 3 years more than 15,000 children have fought in Liberia’s civil war. In August 2003 the warring parties reached an agreement to stop hostilities. The fragile treaty stipulated the disarmament and return to civilian life for all troops, child soldiers in particular. Unfortunately Liberia’s recent history shows that without an adequate plan of re-insertion, these children will probably take up their weapons in the near future. The Human Rights Watch report says in fact that many child soldiers fought already in the previous civil war 1989-1996 and only one third of these handed in their weapons in the 1997 disarmament campaign. Many youngsters returned to their native villages but finding neither schooling nor work when the war broke out again in 1999 they readily accepted to fight again.
Both the government forces and the armies of the two main rebel groups LURD (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy) and MODEL (Democratic Movement of Liberia), use children for fighting. Humanitarian workers say these children suffer all kinds of abuse and violence and are even drugged before being sent to the front line to fight. Girls, given the same duties as boys and treated with the same abuse, are also often sexually assaulted.
To stop children from fighting, school and education must be guaranteed for all Liberians. The report says “many children who have fought in the war want to go back to school but they have no money for fees or books”. (L.M.) (Fides Service 2/2/2004, lines 27 words 321)
