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Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita has reiterated concerns regarding the situation of children exploited in the military at the Polisario-run Tindouf camps.
Bourita condemned the recruitment of children in the Tindouf camps, accusing Algeria of encouraging child exploitation in the military.
“The indoctrination and recruitment of children by the armed militias of the ‘Polisario’ constitute an inhuman crime, and a denial of the basic rights of recruited children, as well as a flagrant violation of the resolutions adopted by the Security Council on the matter,” the minister said.
The Moroccan official warned on Thursday that the situation fuels instability in North Africa and in the Sahel.
Bourita made his remarks during his speech at the opening of a conference organized by the International Center for Research and the Prevention of Child Soldiers in Dakhla.
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During the event, Bourita recalled the situation of Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps, citing the “correlation between the lack of management” of the camps and the recruitment of child soldiers.
The Moroccan FM argued that Algeria should shoulder its full responsibility, particularly with regard to the protection of children living on its territory.
Bourita recalled Morocco’s key role in maintaining and consolidating peace, recalling that the North African country has participated in peacekeeping missions since 1960.
Morocco’s peace contribution covers all continents, Bourita said, recalling that North Africa ranked among the top 11 countries dispatching blue helmets across the world to maintain stability.
Morocco deploys 1,702 blue helmets in Africa, including in MINUSCA, MONUSCO, and UNMISS.
Bourita also cited Morocco’s mechanisms and instruments for the protection of children against all forms of abuse, exploitation, violence, and organized crime, such as the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child.
Morocco created the institution in 1995 and adopted the Vancouver principles on peacekeeping and the prevention of the recruitment and use of child soldiers in 2020.
The Moroccan FM renewed the country’s appeal, calling for putting an end to and holding accountable all parties responsible for the recruitment and criminal use of children and other grave violations.
The number of children living in conflict zones who are at risk of being recruited and used by armed groups has tripled, rising from less than 5% in 1990 (99 million children) to more by 14% in 2020 (337 million children), the Moroccan FM said.
“Over the past 25 years, 170,000 children have been released from armed groups. However, only a limited number of former child soldiers have been identified, in a limited number of countries surveyed,” he said.
