Press release: SYAO condemns the awarding of weapons to young children by the al shabaab militia.

(Wednesday, 21 September 2011)

The following is a radio broadcast that was aired by Andalus Radio (Voice of  Shabab)

A radio station run by Somalia’s al-Shabaab militia group has awarded weapons to children who won a Koran-reciting competition.

Andulus radio, based Kismanyo , gave the group which won first prize in the Ramadan contest an AK-47 rifle and the equivalent of Money.

The second prize-winners received an AK-47 and Some Money, while the third prize was two hand grenades and little money.

In previous years, when the competition was organized in the southern port of Kismayo, the first prize included an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade launcher).

“Children should use one hand for education and the other for a gun to attack the government soldier,” Senior Al-Shabaab official Mukhtar Robow told the prize-giving ceremony.

Somalia is currently suffering from a severe drought, which has been declared a famine in some areas run by al-Shabaab.

The Chairman of SYAO Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim Ali Ajib has condemned what he terms as an illegal and non ethical mode of educating the young children in Somali.

He has categorically differed with the Shabab militia to force young children to take up the gun instead of giving them a chance of education that would be beneficial to their lives.

He sighted for instance how a young boy can be cajoled to acts of violence if given the opportunity to own a gun.

The kind of education system or training these young children are being given is of quite an alarming state to the security of the country.

SYAO is trying to educate the youth and young children in particular on the benefits of getting proper education with a better educational platform based on the true and ethical myriads of knowledge acquirement.

We cannot keep on sitting and seeing our young being misguided by the ideological beliefs of the Al Shabab meaning the time has come for us to change our children’s kind of thinking.

I appeal to all the interested partners to come and condemned this vices being introduced to our children.

The Al Shabab militia believes that the kind of education best suitable to the young is to hold a gun on one side and the other Koran which cannot work.

He strongly condemns this cowardly act and he believes as long as SYAO is going to stand for; this kind of education system will be unsuccessful.

Mohamed Ibrahim Ali Ajib

Chairman Of SYAO