GOC DENOUNCES USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS TO MILITARY COMMANDERS,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000362 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF/C AND S/USSES LONDON FOR POL - LORD PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA ADDIS ABABA FOR AU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF KTIP PHUM CD SUBJECT: GOC DENOUNCES USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS TO MILITARY COMMANDERS, TURNS MINORS OVER TO UNICEF REFTEL: NDJAMENA 348 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The MFA invited embassies and international organizations to accompany a cadre of GOC officials visiting Chadan military barracks to address the issue of child soldiers. The brigadier general heading the delegation proclaimed a forceful message of intolerance for the practice of child soldiers at the half-dozen military camps and law enforcement headquarters visited August 25-26. Personally reviewing the troops with UNICEF, the general questioned and released to UNICEF's custody four presumed minors during the visits. A similar trip to military camps near the eastern city of Abeche turned up one presumed minor, also released to UNICEF. He charged the delegation of putting together an action plan for the next six months, to include further visits to additional military installations. ¶2. The government conceived of this mission itself and put a very capable officer at its head. General Idriss took a firm line in each presentation and sincerely engaged in identifying possible child soldiers. The GOC recognizes that a cultural change is necessary for the custom of child soldiers to cease in Chad, but is committed to putting into practice the Chadian law that prohibits it. We are encouraged by these recent actions and the high-level interest in developing, and (more importantly) implementing, an action plan. Poloff will participate in that effort. END SUMMARY. -------------- AWARENESS CAMPAIGN -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs planned an awareness-raising mission to military installations and law enforcement entities to address the subject of child soldiers. Brigadier General Dokoni Adiker Idriss, Military Coordinator at the MFA, led the delegation, which included similarly ranked officers from the Nomadic Guard, Directorate General of Security Services for National Institutions (DGSSIE),and the Gendarmerie, along with others from the Chadian military. Civilian GOC officials included the Deputy Director for Children's Affairs in the Ministry of Social Action, an Inspector General from the Ministry of Human Rights, and the Legal Advisor in the MFA. UNICEF, UNDP, MINURCAT's chief for human rights also participated. ¶4. (SBU) The delegation visited August 25-26 the Chadian Army Center of Military Instruction in Koundoul, the headquarters of the Chadian National Army, the headquarters of the National and Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) known as the Nomadic Guard, the headquarters of the Gendarmerie, and the headquarters of the DGSSIE -- the elite unit formerly known as the "Presidential Guard." In both French and Arabic, General Idriss delivered a consistent message, denouncing the practice of child soldiers and loudly voicing the GOC's intolerance for it and underlining that his mission was to create awareness of the government's policy. He ordered each military and law enforcement element to be vigilant against the practice "in any corner" of the military. He stated that the GOC would arduously investigate and prosecute anyone implicated in the use of child soldiers. ¶5. (SBU) General Idriss admitted, however, that it would take significant effort to end the practice. He noted that he and others of his rank had joined as minors, but he declared the epoque of child soldiers to be over. In concert with the UNICEF representative, General Idriss outlined that "child soldiers" included not just those in military uniform but any minor, separated from his/her family, engaged in activity in the military base. -------------- SEARCH FOR CHILD SOLDIERS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) After speaking with the head of each military unit, General Idriss led the delegation on a tour of the troops, speaking to each assembled group about child soldiers and looking for minors in the ranks. He personally questioned the age any soldier that the UNICEF representative or he thought could be a minor. Of the two dozen or so troops that he questioned, four were presumed to be minors and released immediately to UNICEF's control. The UNICEF child protection officer told poloff that he was extremely pleased NDJAMENA 00000362 002 OF 002 with the government's efforts and believed it an excellent start. UNICEF later confirmed to poloff that two of the presumed minors were verified to be adults (18 or over). Of the remaining two, one was indeed a minor while the other was 19, but unknown to the military, so both remained in UNICEF's care. ¶7. (SBU) On a similar August 22 trip to military camps in the eastern city of Abeche, UN interlocutors told poloff that the GOC message and actions were the same. In Abeche, three soldiers were presumed minors, immediately released to UNICEF, but later verified as adults. -------------- SUSTAINED COMMITTMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) General Idriss tasked delegation members with developing an action plan for the next six months. The original mission called for additional visits to military installation around the country, but when the logistics proved impossible, General Idriss felt that is was for the best. Word has gotten around, he stated, and if we wait another month or so, we will again have the element of surprise when we visit. He also expressed his interest in visiting refugee and IDP camps, an idea that UNICEF cautiously approved. The UNICEF representative stated that it must be a joint GOC-UN effort to verify the allegations of child recruitment already received by the UN. General Idriss respected UNICEF's warning that the camp not appear militarized by an independent Chadian military visit. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The government conceived of this mission itself and put a very capable officer at its head. General Idriss took a firm line in each presentation and sincerely engaged in identifying possible child soldiers. The GOC recognizes that a cultural change is necessary for the custom of child soldiers to cease in Chad, but is committed to putting into practice the Chadian law that prohibits it. We are encouraged by these recent actions and the high-level interest in developing, and (more importantly) implementing, an action plan. Poloff will participate in that effort. END COMMENT. ¶10. (U) Minimize considered. NIGRO