Obama continues US military aid to countries using child soldiers
Digital JournalBy Brett Wilkins Oct 2, 2012 in Politics
Washington - President Barack Obama issued a presidential memorandum waiving sanctions on countries that use child soldiers, allowing US military aid to continue to four countries despite their continued violation of the Child Soldiers Protection Act of 2008.
Foreign Policy reports that President Obama issued the memo late Friday afternoon, a time of scant media attention. Libya, South Sudan and Yemen will be exempt from penalties enacted by Congress designed to prevent US arms sales to countries the US State Department determines are the worst violators of the Child Soldiers Protection Act.
President Obama also partially waived penalties for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a decades-long war has claimed millions of lives and where the use of child soldiers, some not even yet teenagers, is rampant. Despite the fact that DRC government military officers who have recruited child soldiers have been promoted to high-ranking positions, Obama's penalty waiver means that some US military and training and arms sales to the DRC will continue.
Friday's White House memo explains that the president "determine(s) that it is in the national interest of the United States" to continue sending US arms and aid to countries that use child soldiers. The administration argues that Washington needs to work with these countries to combat terrorism and on other security issues.
Read more:
here.
