US ‘backs Saudis in child soldiers row’
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blocked the inclusion of Saudi Arabia on a US list of countries that recruit child soldiers, dismissing his experts’ findings that a Saudi-led coalition has been using under-age fighters in Yemen’s civil war, according to people familiar with the matter.
The decision, which came after a fierce internal debate, could prompt new accusations by human rights advocates and some lawmakers that US President Donald Trump’s administration is prioritising security and economic interests in relations with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a major US ally and arms customer.
Mr Pompeo’s move comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, the Saudis’ bitter regional rival.
State Department experts recommended adding Saudi Arabia to the soon-to-be released list based in part on news reports and human rights groups’ assessments that the desert kingdom has hired child fighters from Sudan to fight for the US-backed coalition in Yemen, the sources said.
The Saudi government, Saudi embassy in Washington and Saudi-led coalition did not respond to requests for comment.
The coalition has previously said it was upholding international human rights standards and denied the use of child soldiers.
The experts’ recommendation faced resistance from some other State Department officials who, according to the sources, argued that it was not clear whether the Sudanese forces were under the control of Sudanese officers or directed by the Saudi-led coalition.
A New York Times report in December cited Sudanese fighters saying their Saudi and United Arab Emirates commanders directed them at a safe distance from the fighting against the coalition’s foes, Iran-aligned Houthi militias.
Mr Pompeo rejected the recommendation from the experts, who are from the State Department’s anti-human trafficking office, said the sources.
The office has a key role in investigating the use of child soldiers worldwide.
“The United States condemns the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers. We place great importance on ending the practice wherever it occurs,” a State Department official said.
The official, however, did not specifically address the Saudi decision or whether any consideration was given to Riyadh’s security ties to Washington.
Instead of adding Saudi Arabia to the list, Sudan will be reinstated after being removed last year, the sources said.
A spokesman for Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has contributed fighters to the Yemen war, said the force is affiliated with Sudan’s military. “Based on Sudanese laws, it does not recruit minors,” he said.
He did not directly respond to a question on who controlled Sudanese forces in Yemen. The UAE government did not respond to a request for comment.
The child soldiers list will be part of the State Department’s annual global Trafficking in Persons report, which could be released as early as tomorrow.
BAN ON US AID
The Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 requires the State Department to report annually on countries using child fighters, defined as “any person under 18 years of age who takes a direct part in hostilities as a member of governmental armed forces.”
Foreign militaries on the list cannot receive US aid, training and weapons unless the president issues full or partial waivers of those sanctions based on “national interest.” Mr Trump and his predecessors have done this in the past for countries with close security ties to the United States.
While internal debates over issues like child soldier violations often take place ahead of the release of the annual State Department list, this one was especially heated.
Since the end of 2016, the Saudiled coalition has deployed as many as 14,000 Sudanese at any given time, including children as young as 14, to fight in Yemen, according to The New York Times. The article cited Sudanese fighters who had returned home and Sudanese lawmakers.