Issued by: Independent Child and Women Human Rights Advocacy Network

Executive Summary:

This independent investigation exposes a serious and ongoing human rights crisis in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia — the recruitment and training of thousands of underage children, some as young as 14 years old, into the Liyu Police Force. These acts have taken place during the tenure of President Mustafe Mohamed Omar, with direct involvement and enforcement by Hussein Kasim, Head of the President’s Office.

Over the past seven years, more than 4,500 recruits have undergone military training at Burkow Woreda Police Training Center and other sites. A significant proportion of these recruits are minors between 14 and 17 years of age, forcibly removed from school and their families to meet regional recruitment quotas.

This practice is in flagrant violation of Ethiopia’s own laws, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and multiple other humanitarian norms.

President Mustafe, once celebrated as a human rights activist and UN worker, is now implicated in ordering these violations. The evidence we have gathered raises serious legal and moral questions that demand urgent investigation by national, regional, and international authorities.

Background and Context:

The Liyu Police Force was originally established to maintain security and counter insurgencies in the Somali Region. Over time, however, the force has been accused of serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances, and now, the illegal recruitment of children.

Our investigation began after receiving multiple confidential reports from reputable international NGOs operating in the Somali Region. These reports pointed to systematic underage recruitment, allegedly sanctioned at the highest levels of the regional administration. Given the scale and severity of the allegations, our Nairobi and Hargeisa offices launched a full independent investigation.

Methodology:

Our investigative team worked covertly to avoid detection and reprisals. Over a period of four months, the team:

• Conducted field visits to seven key sites, including the Birkot Woreda Training Camp (the largest known training facility), Jigjiga’s Garab Case area, Dollo Zone, Jarar Zone, Erer Zone, Shabelle Zone, Qorahay Zone, and Afder Zone.
• Interviewed local administrators, police officials, elders, parents of recruited children, and  in some cases  the recruits themselves.
• Verified reports through cross-checking testimonies, reviewing training rosters where accessible, and observing school withdrawal patterns in affected communities.

Key Findings:

1. Direct Orders from the Highest Office

Interviews from all 11 zones confirm that the recruitment drive was ordered by President Mustafe Mohamed Omar and coordinated by Hussein Hashi.

• Zonal and Woreda officials were given quotas for recruitment.
• Officials were threatened with immediate dismissal if they failed to meet the numbers, regardless of the recruits’ ages.
• Hussein Hashi was quoted by multiple administrators as saying:
  “What we need is numbers, not ages. If you fail to meet the quota, you will be fired.”

2. Violation of International and Domestic Law:

• International Law Breaches:
  • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 38: Prohibits recruitment under 15 years of age into armed forces.
  • Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, Articles 1 & 2: Prohibits compulsory recruitment of anyone under 18.
  • African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Article 22: Prohibits recruitment of children under 18 in armed conflicts.
• Domestic Law Breaches:
  • Ethiopia’s Defense Forces Proclamation prohibits enlistment under 18.
  • Ethiopia’s Child Protection Laws criminalize the forced military recruitment of minors.

3. Forced School Withdrawals:

In multiple Woredas, children between grades 6 and 8 were pulled out of school to meet recruitment quotas.

• Parents who resisted faced threats, including loss of access to government aid programs.
• Age verification was ignored entirely, with some recruits appearing visibly under 15.

4. Training Locations and Methods

The primary training facility is the Birkot Woreda Police Training Center, with additional smaller facilities scattered across the region. Training included:

• Military drills, weapons handling, and combat tactics inappropriate for minors.
• Harsh physical punishment for those unable to meet standards, contributing to trauma and injury.

5. Possible Motivations for Mass Recruitment:

Several police and administrative sources suggested that this recruitment drive is linked to high attrition rates in the Liyu Police Force.

• Over 5,000 members have allegedly deserted in recent years due to abuse, unpaid wages, and denial of rights, with many fleeing to Somalia’s Jubaland State.
• The recruitment of minors appears to be an attempt to rapidly replenish manpower before federal authorities could question the regional government about the depleted ranks.

6. Federal Government Unaware:

Our sources indicate that Ethiopian federal police and national army leadership were not informed of the underage recruitment. This reflects a dangerous lack of federal oversight on regional paramilitary forces.

Human Impact:

The recruitment of children into armed service has severe psychological, physical, and social consequences:

• Many of these minors suffer trauma, disrupted education, and the loss of their childhood.
• Families are torn apart, with parents powerless to protect their children from forced conscription.
• Communities live under an atmosphere of fear, knowing that resistance to recruitment orders can result in punishment.

Legal Responsibility and Accusations:

Based on our findings, President Mustafe Mohamed Omar and Hussein Hashi bear direct legal responsibility for the recruitment and training of underage children for military purposes.

These actions constitute:

• A war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• A breach of Ethiopia’s treaty obligations under the CRC, OPAC, and African Charter.
• A criminal act under Ethiopia’s national child protection laws.

Call to Action , Appeal to All Concerned Bodies

We urgently call upon:

1) The Government of Ethiopia to immediately suspend all underage recruitment, remove implicated officials, and launch a transparent inquiry. 
2) The Ethiopian Federal Parliament to establish a special investigative commission with subpoena powers to gather evidence and question officials under oath. 
3) The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council to send a fact-finding mission to the Somali Region. 
4) The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to open an independent investigation under international monitoring standards.
5) The International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider preliminary examination of this case as a war crime involving the use of child soldiers.
6) UNICEF and Save the Children to engage in urgent child protection interventions, including demobilization and rehabilitation of affected minors.
7) Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to conduct parallel independent investigations and advocacy campaigns.

Recommendations

1) Immediate Demobilization: Release all underage recruits and return them to their families.
2) Rehabilitation Programs: Provide psychological counseling, educational reintegration, and vocational training.
3) Accountability: Prosecute all officials who ordered or facilitated underage recruitment, including at the highest levels.
4) Oversight Reform: Strengthen federal oversight of regional security forces to prevent recurrence.
5) Community Awareness: Launch campaigns to inform parents and communities about children’s legal rights under Ethiopian and international law. 

Issued by: Independent Child and Women Human Rights Advocacy Network
Nairobi, Kenya & Hargeisa, Somaliland
Ali A Osman
Email: ifafaalo99@gmail.com