Child with Al Shabaab in Mogadishu Stadium

Since the incursion of the al-Shabaab insurgent group in southern and central Somalia in late 2007, many Somali children under the age of 18 - both boys and girls - have gone missing. Under the guise of 'recruiting', the group has kidnapped these children to serve as fighters (and for other purposes) against its many opponents, including Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces, African Union peacekeeping forces (AMISOM), Ethiopian troops and Kenyan Defense Forces. As a result of their forced participation in combat between al-Shabaab and their enemies, many children have been killed or severely injured, including some who are permanently maimed or disabled.

The insurgent militia of al-Shabaab has long found children an easy source of fighters to supplement its ranks, particularly in the face of its ongoing losses owing to its long history of combat in the region. In these cases, these children, who might otherwise be attending school or vocational training, are driven away from these institutions of learning into al-Shabaab bases where they are forced to stay until their paramilitary training courses are completed. In other cases, children are indoctrinated in al-Shabaab-taught dugsi (where the Quran is the primary teaching resource), schools, madrassas, and mosques.

Al-Shabaab also uses less forceful means to indoctrinate children, usually through a system of rewards (rather than by kidnapping or the ever present threats of violence for non-compliance) into joining its ranks. For example, they may offer candy to those children who complete the study of a chapter of the Quran. They also use an equally less threatening method in which they play audio and video tapes that show the rewards of paradise promised to individuals who act as suicide bombers and for those jihadists who die in combat.

When al-Shabaab captures a town, their first action is typically to "remake" the town into what it claims to be a better place to live, through offering better social services, improved schooling, and other "benefits." What the community often does not realize is that, at the same time, the insurgents have turned the town into a training camp. They accomplish this, in part, by removing all the current teachers from the schools and madrassas and replacing them with al-Shabaab's own instructors. These instructors, then, indoctrinate the children in the al-Shabaab ideology, which focuses on jihad and fighting against what the insurgents call infidels; those enemy forces who operate on Somali soil.

The al-Shabaab instructors are able to attract and brainwash the youths by presenting a caring demeanor and by (falsely) instilling in their students a sense or purpose and self-worth. In serving with the militia, the children are led to believe that they will be an important part of society and that their country will love them and God will bless them. The children are also made listen to lectures by al-Shabaab senior officials, in addition to the aforementioned audio and videotapes.

Some of these lectures and tapes are centered on stories of how many young boys and girls sacrifice themselves and committed suicide attacks against the TFG and the foreign fighters who were attacked the country from neighboring nations.

The children are also provided books authored by al-Shabaab that explain the philosophy of al-Shabaab and how al-Shabaab has led the youth to create a better future for themselves and for the country. Disturbingly, some teachers also offer lessons and stories as to how al-Shabaab warriors have used a gun in combat, specifically in order to try and increase a child's desire to one day be able to emulate these warriors and, one day, wield a gun in combat, just like their al-Shabaab jihadist "heroes."

To learn more, Somalia Report spoke to several children who had been indoctrinated into the al-Qaeda aligned organization.

“Our teacher was changed when al-Shabaab captured the town and a new teacher was brought to us. This teacher always told us about how al-Shabaab fought on the battlefields and defeated the TFG and AMISOM. He also used to urge us that we should join al-Shabaab and be willing to fight when the hour of need at last comes and we are needed to carry guns and fight the enemy," Abdisalam, a 16-year-old boy recuit, told Somalia Report.

Abdisalam also added that the al-Shabaab teachers normally held consecutive meetings every Thursday morning in the dugsi (Quran school) to influence young children, telling that children are the sole defender of the religion. Typically, schools in Muslim countries and in Somalia are on holiday on Thursdays and Fridays, but al-Shabaab takes advantage of this "free time" by telling students should come to madrasa to learn additional lessons about the teachings of the prophets.

Young women are not immune to the predations of al-Shabaab. Special cadre of female al-Shabaab teachers also indoctrinates those girls who are not kidnapped and who are left to live in their towns. The girls are invited to the dugsi and madrasas where they are then taught many of the same lessons as the young men.

Fatima, a young girl who experienced the takeover of her town by al-Shabaab, explained how the recruitment processed worked.

“Every Thursday there were two huge women whose faces were normally covered used to come to our madrasa. They used to preach and tell us how we are important in the religion and also in the communities. They told us we are needed to serve as young female al-Shabaab mujahedeen by joining the group and marrying al-Shabaab soldiers in order to give birth young boys who will fight for the religion in the future. They kept on urging us to spread the ideology of al-Shabaab to our mothers and our neighbors by speaking to them about the good things about al Shabaab. I always did not believe what they told us at the madrasa because after seeing all their brutality and how they blow up innocent people like students and women in the name of religion. I hated them,” Fatima told Somalia Report.

Al-Shabaab also changes the imams (mosque leaders) of the mosques and replaces them with their own imams who then talk to the community about their joining of the militia. The new mosques leaders give lectures at Friday prayers and after every prayer in mosque about the good side of al-Shabaab group, which attracted children below the age of 18 whose minds were not yet fully developed.

“After al-Shabaab captured our town in 2009 they ordered all the mosques leaders to step down immediately in our town, and they introduced new imams (prayer leader) and muadins (a person who calls people to prayer) who were going to lead prayers claiming that old mosques leaders were Sufis who are not familiar with the religion. Then the al-Shabaab mosque leaders started to held simultaneous lectures and reading books continuously," Ali, a young recruit, told Somalia Report.

In addition to academic and religious changes, al-Shabaab-controlled towns were also required to make other changes. One such change was the banning of playing sports for all young men. Many young men enjoyed playing football and other sports, as did younger children who would often play football after arriving home from school and madrasa in the afternoon. Al-Shabaab also aggressively prohibited viewing movies in cinemas, DCTVs, and would threaten or kill anyone who attempted to open a cinema or watch a DSTV.

With the loss of these "free time" distractions, many children and young people were left without any healthy, normal things to do. As a result, an in an example of the cleverness of al-Shabaab's strategy targeting Somali youths, the young people would then be drawn to those places where the insurgents' senior officials were speaking. This led directly to the indoctrination of many youths, leading to their joining al-Shabaab.

One young man, who asked to remain anonymous, described these developments as follows:

“I was a member of the Bobo football club in Beledhawo town and I used to play midfielder but since al-Shabaab entered our town in December 2008, we no longer play football. Immediately, they announced no more football, cinemas and DSTVs where we used to watch Premier League football on Saturdays and Sundays. They also announced that young children, who were needed to serve the religion of Allah, were instead wasting their time instead they wasted their time playing, which Muslim religion prohibited. They said playing football and watching DSTV are Christian things to do and anybody who did what the Christian did was an infidel. They also told us to attend the mosque for every Maghreb prayer and the lectures that they normally used to hold Friday afternoon at the Beledhawo town center and anyone found loitering around (not attending the required prayer) that time would face heavy punishment. After every Maghreb prayer the imams used to have lectures which they encouraged children and adults to support the al- Shabaab group and asked who would volunteer to join the militia and fight against the TFG and its allied infidels. In this way many boys, who were mostly under eighteen, were recruited into the al-Shabaab militia.”

Apart from training children in mosques, madrasas, and dugsi, al-Shabaab gives children physical training in their military camps. After the child is abducted from their town or village, they are taken to al-Shabaab military bases and given various training.

“I, together with 18 boys, was taken to the al-Shabaab base at Girileey on the outskirts of Bardhere town in the Gedo region in mid-2010. We were gathered in one place where there were almost 40 other boys that were collected from different learning institutions and from different towns in the Gedo region. We were given lectures on the topic of jihad before we started our training. During the training we were always made to remember our main objective which was to fight for al-Shabaab, even if it costs us our lives," explained one recruit.

"The training was tough and not all would finish it successfully. We used to wake up as early as 4:00 am and start our training sessions which entailed various activities like shootings, fighting with knives, and carrying out explosions by use of remote control systems. We were also taught how to make explosives from readily available materials like bullet gunpowder and the heads of matchsticks. We were also taught how to repair the guns and pistols," he added.

"At first I thought al-Shabaab's fight was a just one, but after seeing my friends taken to the battlefields and left behind after they were injured in combat with TFG and its allies, I felt that I was no different than those boys who died in the wars or lost important organs in the war. I decided to escape from the group, but due to the al-Shabaab policy to kill any soldier who betrayed them I decided I couldn’t. After some time passed, though, I succeeded in escaping from them. I have since joined a school in Mandera and i am ready to lead a normal and peaceful life like any other boy of my age in the universe," the recruit explained to Somalia Report.

It is not surprising to see a young boy of around 14 years with a gun instructing elders to do something or to refrain from something else. The boys are also often used in the front lines of the heavy battles that occur in Somalia between al-Shabaab and the TFG army backed by AMISOM and Ethiopian forces. Many people might ask why al-Shabaab uses children like this in combat. “Al-Shabaab takes the children to the front lines of big wars because the children are not experienced and therefore they don’t understand when the battle is being won or lost, so they just keep on attacking and defending while on the battlefield. They are also told that any battle can be won (even if it is being lost at the time), which is something the children, being children, readily believe," an elder in a village taken over by al-Shabaab told Somalia Report.

The young boys are also sometimes told to just go and sit in public places where the people meet and listen to their stories without letting the people sense that the boys are from the al-Shabaab. They then collect the information from the people and report them to the al-Shabaab which then takes punitive action against on the individuals who talk ill about the al-Shabaab or seem to support the TFG and its allies.

“These days everything has changed. One has to watch what he says if he wants to survive, because when in a cafeteria, for example, you don’t know whether the person next to you is member of, or spying on behalf of, al-Shabaab. You might talk about al-Shabaab and condemn their operations or even criticize their operations and the next morning you ordered to report to the station for questioning about what you were talking about and if you are found to have said what was reported about you, then you are punished. It is even worse if you deny what has been reported about you," said Saalim Ali, a Somali teenager.

Young girls are often taken as wives for al-Shabaab militiamen without consulting or asking their parents' consent on the marriage of their daughters. Asha, a mother whose daughter was brainwashed by the al-Shabaab teachers in the madrasa and was married to an al-Shabaab fighter told Somalia Report how it happens.

“The girls who are still very young, like 15 years of age, are taken by the al-Shabaab fighters. Some of the girls agree to marry the militiamen and others are forced into these marriages. The girls who agree to marry the al-Shabaab militia men are the ones who were brainwashed in the madrasas and who are lured by the stories and the future promises made to them by the al-Shabaab militia. On the other hand, those who are married by force are told that an al-Shabaab fighter wants to marry you and he is good man who can take care of you. If the girl refuses, she is said to have betrayed a fellow brother who is fighting for the religion so the girl’s father is talked to and threatened with death. Fearing for his life, he agrees to the marriage."

The al-Shabaab militia maintains a large number of young girls who are fighters and some who are well trained in administering first aid to the wounded soldiers in the wars against the TFG and its allied forces. A significant number of girls also accompany al-Shabaab and cook food for them during wars and even when they are in the towns or remote areas. The al Shabaab also uses the young girls for spying and sometimes transporting weapons and explosives. The girls also carry food and medicine for the al Shabaab fighters who live in remote areas.

© Somalia Report, all rights reserved

Somali Women in Mogadishu

In a war torn country where might rules, the voices and concerns of Somali mothers remain muted and low on the list of the nation’s concerns. In Somalia’s patriarchal society, men rule with very minimal participation by women in their decision making processes.

As men and boys eagerly take part in ongoing clashes between the al-Shabaab militant group and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces with its allies, Somali mothers have learnt to conceal their anxiety and fear. Many have watched their first born child recruited into a militia group, a gang or simply disappear to take part in any of the numerous wars and battles at a tender age, in an attempt to provide for family or establish themselves in a violent environment.

Somalia Report looks into the challenges facing Somali mothers who suffer undefined loss after their husbands join al-Shabaab militants to sustain and defend an unfamiliar ideology. The Mujahideen leave their children and wives as they seek greater gains in another life. Somali women who are largely illiterate are left vulnerable and without sufficient support.

Many are ignorant about birth control and are eventually weighed down by the responsibility of children without the constant presence and support of their father. It is common and expected for a Somali woman to have nine or more children in her lifetime. Most expectant mothers deliver at home due to lack of sufficient health facilities. Many of them die of complications while in labour. According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the maternal mortality rate in Somalia is among the highest in the globe.

Somalia Report spoke to a number of Somali mothers for their perspective on family and motherhood. Nasra is a mother of seven children who is willing to have many more.

“I feel gifted that I have seven children now. I hope to give birth to more in the future because I like having children and will do so for as long as I can. Children are a gift from God. Some people may think that having many children is not right especially when it comes to providing for them which is not a big issue. Allah will provide for me and my children as we do our best,” said Nasra.

Other mothers do not share Nasra’s views in entirety. They explain that it is good to have many children but providing for and guiding them is a great responsibility especially in the case of girls who require extra effort while moulding and monitoring their behavior. Education is a rare and costly service in the conflict ridden country where economic stability is difficult to attain or maintain. Most families are limited to struggling to cater for basic needs rather than seeking the luxury of education. This cripples the future of children.

Fatumo Shire is a married mother who has nine children, six girls and three boys. Unlike Nasro, she suspects it may be unhealthy to bear many children.

“I have nine children most of whom are girls. I am very happy to have so many children of my own despite the problems I face while providing for them. They need education, discipline and basic needs catered for. It is not healthy for me to conceive so soon between pregnancies since the required spacing period is one year at most. This prevents me from pursuing other interests since I am expectant each year. I am not sure if this will create problems for my health in future.”

Regular and endless wars in the country have left many families with single mothers who take care of their children and households with great difficulty.

“I sell meat at the market in Garbaharey and make a little income to sustain my four children because my husband has been away from home for a long time. I heard he is in Kismayo currently and working with the militia group of al-Shabaab,” Khadija told Somalia Report.

“My first pregnancy in December 2010 was a difficult experience. My husband was unemployed at the time and it was a very trying period in my life. He was a laborer and builds houses in the town but since the conflict intensified and drought worsened the situation, there were no more clients to work for. He would wake up early seeking an earning but always come back late in the afternoon with around 40,000 somali shillings which is approximately four dollars," Halima, a 24 year old mother told Somalia Report.

When the situation worsened, Halima feared for her well being and that of her unborn child. They were not getting enough to sustain them and she decided to return to her mother’s house. Her husband later disappeared from the town and news of him joining the al-Shabaab militia spread. Halima was shocked to hear the sad news and shared it with her family. Less than a month later, she was informed of his death and is struggling to come to terms with this.

The greatest concern for these mothers is that their barely grown children are lured and recruited by militia groups. Asha Farah is a mother of two children. She shared her feelings regarding bearing fewer children.

“I have two children, one is seven years and the younger one is four years old. I don’t like when my children are of one year age difference because that will deter them from developing properly. Spacing will enable me to breastfeed each child for two years. I can also afford their upkeep since they are not many and I can spare some money for their education,” she said.

“My husband provides for us. He owns a small retail shop and he sells a variety of goods. One of my children attends school now and the other one is still too young. We are both happy about having a few children who we can care for as parents,”she added.

Almost all women in Somalia do not use family planning or birth control since they regard children as a gift from the creator that should not be controlled. They are assured of their children’s upkeep and do not understand why child birth needs to be controlled.

“I don’t know what birth control actually means. It cannot be good for a woman since children are precious gifts and not everyone is able to get such a gift. Why should anyone control it?” inquires Kadra who is a mother of five children.

Not all women abide by the same ideology. Despite the fact that she does not use birth control, Shadiya who is a mother of four avoids continuous pregnancy and manages to maintain a fair amount of spacing between her pregnancy.

“I have four children now and each is two years older than the other. I like it that way. I don’t use any contraceptive but my husband and I discuss and agreed on when I shall be ready for pregnancy. That way we are able to plan our family’s wellbeing and avoid the problems that mothers face from successive child birth,” she said.

In Somali culture, the man is expected to provide for the family and support the mother while raising the children. However, some women lack this essential support. Due to clan related conflicts, scenarios in which two brothers maybe fighting for warring factions are not uncommon. When men join the fighters and relocate to the the frontline, their families suffer neglect.

Hawa, who is a mother of five children says, “My husband had been away from home since 2009. He used to travel to different places. One day I heard he was in Mogadishu and the next day I also heard he was in another place. He has not been supporting us since then, he claims he has nothing that he earns most of the time. When he earns something he remembers us and sends some money."

This situation varies for mothers in Somalia. Some have lost their husbands to daily crime and fighting incidents, without hope of support. Others are neglected by absentee or demoralized husbands who are unable to provide for their families in an unstable country. These women remain united by a common responsibility of caring for their families and children.

Ebla is a mother of three children who has not heard from her husband in a long time.

“My husband left me when I was three months pregnant and he went to Mogadishu to fight in the ongoing war and I have not heard from him since. I am not sure if he is alive now but I hope so. My brother-in-law searched for him but no one has told us of his whereabouts until now,” she said, “My in-laws assist me by catering for the financial needs of the family, however I am disturbed by my husband’s absence.”

It is a tragedy when a beloved child who has been raised under such difficult circumstances is lured away by warring factions in Somalia.

“I have raised four children and the first two are boys. The eldest joined al-Shabaab in 2010 and has refused to return to me. He lives in Kismayo now. I never expected that after raising him up with such hardship, he would one day fire a gun at another human being. He was 17 years old when they lured him to join them,” said a mother who wishes to remain anonymous.

“I still fear that my other son may join the opposite side. I always talk to him and advise him about his but I can’t help but fear that he too will disappear,” she said.

Despite a multitude of challenges, mothers in Somalia remain resilient and devoted to their children in most cases. The survival of Somali children who may grow to be peacemakers or warmongers depends largely on the nurturing efforts of Somali women.

Somalia Report

Boys in School

Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland has made great efforts to improve the education of children by increasing the quality of the educational standards, management, planning, capacity and financing since its founding in 1998. The advances have come without the support of the Transitional Federal Govenrment (TFG).

The Puntland government has successfully implemented a program to sponsor two years of Early Childhood Development (ECD) designed to reach parents and care-givers in their homes as well as in the ECD centres for children between 0-5 years of age.

In addition, the state supports the 2-8-4-4 system which is two years of early childhood education, eight years of primary education, four years of secondary education, and four years of university. Puntland has also recognized technical and vocational training as essential parts of the region’s educational system.

Puntland’s minister of Education Abdi Farah Juxa explained the scope of their efforts in an interview with Somalia Report.

“We have successfully maintained our region’s educational system after Somalia’s central government was destroyed in 1991. We have provided quality education and now have 460 primary schools, 54 secondary schools, 200 adult schools, and eight universities. There are approximately 5,000 teachers and 170,000 to 190,000 students currently attending divided almost in half by gender. Of the students, 44.5% are girls and 45.5% are boys,” said Minister Juxa.

He explained that the projects have been funded by international agencies.

“We get support from agencies like the European Union (EU), African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) which help fund construction and provide learning and teaching material. Funding also comes from school fees from parents, the government pays for the students uniforms and the salaries of 900 teachers. The diaspora also take part in the development process,” he added.

The minister added that their success comes without support from the federal government.

“We did not get any support from the TFG. During the Garowe Conference the TFG agreed to support 25% of our educational programs, but nothing has been done yet even though they received the money from the interational community," he said.

According to the minister, some scholarship opportunities have not been provided equally among Somali students.

"Turkey gave the TFG scholarships, over 100 of which were for Puntland's students. We sent 118 students to Mogadishu, 70 of were taken to Turkey, 48 students are still in the capital even though they passed exams and qualified. The TFG hasn't done anything to help them. During my term, we have managed to send 800 of our students to study abroad in Turkey, Sudan, Ethopia and Yemen," said the minister.

Students from Somaliland have expressed similar grievances in the past.

Mariam Abdikadir, a parent of four students in Bosaso District of Bari region, praised Puntland's educational system.

"I have six children and four of them go to school. Two of the children are in grade five while two others are going to secondary level this June. I can say that Puntland is the best place for education we have very educated teachers who care about our children and teach them well because Puntland government did what they said they were going to do. They fulfilled their promises and I appreciate that," said the mother.

She added that she receives support from the Diaspora to pay the school fees for her children.

“We pay $12 for each one because they attend private schools. I get support from some of my relatives who lives overseas. We are so happy here in Bosaso because we get peace and good education," she added.

A teacher in Puntland's Mudug region also expressed his support for the government's efforts to improve education.

"The quality of the education in Puntland is very high and I’m proud to teach students in this region because we makes efforts to provide competent students who can lead their country in the future. There is some students who are not ready to study but most students in our school are proud of their school and they compete among themselves for the highest scores during examinations. Our school gets at least 10 students who attain the highest scores in Puntland’s examinations," said Ma’allin Mohamed, a teacher at Omar Samatar Secondary school in North Galkacyo district of Mudug region.

“We organise competitions between schools in Galkacyo district to encourage the students. We provide prizes and presents to the winners. Business people, parents, the ministry of education and local agencies take part in these events,”he added.

Students were equally pleased with the region's educational opportunities.

"There are at least 850 students in our schools we are happy with our education system. We have well trained teachers who provide quality education. We have support from our parents, the Puntland Government and Daispora. I am grateful to Allah, our parents and the Puntland Government who are ready to improve our education," said Ahmed Saiid Salah, a Student in Dhahar Primary School of Sanaag region.

“Last year when Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) Radio held a competition among students during Ramadhan, our district won and that shows you how education in the area has improved. I want to advise every Somali student to value education because this will help him or her and they can in turn assist our country which is faced by civil war. I hope my country will regain its pride and dignity soon," he added.

Fatima Ismail, a student of Al-Imamu Nawawi school who spoke to Somalia Report explained that her school is well known for quality.

"Our school is one of the most famous in Bari region and it’s also one of the best schools because we have good teachers who provide quality education. They are well educated. Most of them are university graduates and who learnt different languages like English and Arabic which are the languages of our system," Fatima told Somalia Report.

“Each student pays $15 in school fees. During the day we cover 12 subjects. We begin at 7:00am in the morning, followed by a 30 minute break at 10:00am and back to class to take three subjects. From lunch time school is over and we go back to our homes. I am determined to learn in order to help my people and family," she added.

In a region where violence and poverty is common, Puntland seemingly provides stability development for residents. The 14 year old semi-autonomous state is currently grapling with a myriad of challenges ranging from its constitution approval process, clan rivalry, insecurity and a highly contested oil extraction project which should benefit the entire country.

Aaden Ibrahim Dhaqane, the TFG chairman of Hosingow village, spoke with Somalia Report and confirmed saying, “at least 11 people died in recent weeks, most of them in the past week and most were children. These people died from hunger, measles and a general lack of nutrition,” he said.

The local officials added that many more people are in serious condition saying, “while 11 people have died, there are many more children and women who are suffering from different illnesses. A lack of drinkable water, and a lack of nutritious food and medicines in this village have contributed to the high number of deaths,” Aaden told Somalia Report.

Those suffering include internally displaced peoples who have fled from the fighting in the remote areas. The village of Hosingow doesn’t have sufficient infrastructure to house them, and also lacks hospitals for treatment.

Locals also requested help saying, “There is not enough medical aid in the village and these people don’t have enough money to transfer their patients in to large cities. So we are requesting assistance, particularly health aid,” Ali Abdi, a resident in Hosingow village told Somalia Report.

Hosingow village has two wells, and the pump at the well with good water is not functioning currently. Officials say they have requested assistance from international NGOs as well as the TFG, but no assistance has been forthcoming. “We haven't received any medical supplies or food aid from the TFG. We have asked them several times to help us save the people, but still we didn’t get any support from the government,” said Aden Ibrahim.

Hosingow village in the Lower Juba region was seized by Kenyan & TFG troops from al-Shabaab militants on February 1st.