BOYS FIGHTING AS MEN IN YEMEN'S TRIBAL CONFLICTS

UNCLAS SANAA 000184 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP:AMACDONALD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI YM SUBJECT: BOYS FIGHTING AS MEN IN YEMEN'S TRIBAL CONFLICTS ¶1. SUMMARY. A recent report by a local NGO touting high rates of child combatants in tribal warfare has garnered considerable international coverage. Culturally, however, the adolescents are viewed as adults who owe allegiance to their tribes and are fighting to protect their homes. This may reflect another example that childhood ends early for many of Yemen's children. END SUMMARY. BOYS TO MEN -------------- ¶2. SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protection reported on January 26 that half of the fighters in a tribal war in Amran governorate are children. (Note: The al-Osimat and Harf Sufian tribes began fighting in November 2008. End note.) Executive Director of SEYAJ, Ahmed al-Qarashi, explained to Poloff that the "children" range from ages 12 to 15. The statistics stem from interviews with volunteers living in Amran since at this time, he noted, it is too dangerous for his organization to do a field study. "Fifty percent is a conservative estimate, however," al-Qarashi said, "Our volunteers often report much higher numbers." ¶3. Yemeni law defines a "child" as under the age of 15, but, according to al-Qarashi, "The tribes do not consider them children." "In tribal culture, there is a concept of 'full man'", he explained, "When a boy is married he is considered an adult, no matter his age, and now owes allegiance to his tribe." Al-Qarashi confirmed to Poloff that these armed boys, often as young as 12 year olds, are married, and are fighting to protect their households. ¶4. While unmarried boys are not expected to fight, very young children are often familiar with guns. Al-Qarashi described seeing children "carrying weapons that are taller than they are." Pictures of children with AK-47s strapped across their bodies litter the offices of Dar al-Salaam, a local anti-gun NGO committed to stopping revenge killings. Dar al-Salaam's Executive Director Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Marwani told Poloff that "a major component of our tribal mediation programs is the rehabilitation of children both as victims and perpetrators of violence." Head of the Juvenile Court in Sana'a Judge Afrah Badwellan described combating the social perception that children are young adults as a "major challenge" for Yemeni society. COMMENT -------------- ¶5. Childhood for many ends early in Yemen and, as with the cultural practice of child brides, the preponderance of adolescents participating in tribal conflicts may only reflect Yemen's very young population living as adults before the internationally recognized age of 18. END COMMENT. SECHE