Yes, they are: But they are brainwashed killers. And if the war ends, they will become criminals if not "deprogramed"...
My friend in Zimbabwe, a teacher, worked with the government to rehabilitate the insurgents after that civil war ended. Essentially they had to learn they couldn't just point a gun to get what they wanted, and they were also trained to get a job in the civilian sector.
StrategyPage has an article on the problem (mainly in Somalia, but relates to other groups in Africa) and why so many "bad guys" recruit children.
Unable to entice enough men to join they have convinced (or coerced) some clan elders to allow kids (large enough to handle an AK-47) to join the fight.
The kids have been eager for the opportunity to have an AK-47 of their very own, and people to shoot at. This is a big deal for Somali teenagers....
The teenagers are not the best fighters. Most are impulsive and inexperienced so they do not last long if there is a lot of fighting and even then they require more supervision than adult fighters. But given the choice between disappearing because of heavy casualties or recruiting more and more kids, many African irregular groups (bandits, rebels, Islamic terrorists) will resort to the use of kids.
This is not a new phenomenon but it did not become as affordable and widespread until the 1990s. That’s because after several million cheap Cold War surplus AK-47s began showing up in Africa in the 1990s, the "child soldier" became a more practical solution to heavy personnel losses
so what is the result of the trade in cheap, light weapons?
These armies of child killers made insurrection and anarchy more common. Tens of millions of Africans fled their homes to avoid these tiny terrors, and many of those refugees died of starvation or disease. These victims were just as dead, even if the bullets didn't get them. In fact, few AK-47 victims died from bullets. It was the massive fear, and breakdown of society, and the economy, that killed most people confronted by all these cheap AK-47s. The kids weren't very good shots, but if they got close enough to you, they were capable of unimaginable horrors. Al Shabaab is continuing this vile tradition, although in the name of God.
this explains the huge death numbers in quite a few of the civil wars in Africa. (related item about the Congo's neverending civil wars)
But there is some good news: If you read down in the article, Somalia has a new President who could help rebuild that land of chaos. He immigrated to America as a refugee, and now after being successful in the USA, he has returned to help his country.
One little covered story is how immigrants or the children of immigrants from America have rejuvenated their ancestral lands, from Golda Maier to Winston Churchill (whose mom was American) to Eamon De Valera to the Vietnamese who went back and made their country a tech center.
Rhere is a double story: People came to the US for the freedom and opportunity to succeed as they could not do in their home country.
But some who learned these ideas went back and reformed their own country.
For example, a less covered story is about the Mexicans who left because of Obama's policies (often voluntarily because they lost their jobs when businesses were fined if they didn't check on the immigration status of their employees). Others were merely deported (he deported 3 million illegal immigrants during his 8 years) .
WaPost article ((2012) about the returnees boosting Mexico's middle class.
Most people know Trumpie's propaganda about all that money sent back by illegal immigrants that keep the Mexican economy afloat (sort of like the Philippines), but the picture is a bit more complicated than that.
Alas, corruption and drug cartel anarchy are a major problem in Mexico, so sending back a couple million of their citizens could destabilize the place.
for later listening:
Strategypage podcast on Mexico's troubles.
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update: AlJ reports on an anti immigrant rally in South Africa: violence is expected alas... and the cause is locals blame high unemployment and crime on immigrants.
I have friends in Zimbabwe: about ten percent of the country, mainly the educated and young, have immigrated due to that country's economic collapse, due to corruption/ socialist policies and western sanctions.
And, I have pointed out in the past, the film "District 9", about ET prawns who migrated to earth but didn't assimilate, was based on this short film that ridiculed the anti immigrant feelings there.
But there is some good news: If you read down in the article, Somalia has a new President who could help rebuild that land of chaos. He immigrated to America as a refugee, and now after being successful in the USA, he has returned to help his country.
One little covered story is how immigrants or the children of immigrants from America have rejuvenated their ancestral lands, from Golda Maier to Winston Churchill (whose mom was American) to Eamon De Valera to the Vietnamese who went back and made their country a tech center.
Rhere is a double story: People came to the US for the freedom and opportunity to succeed as they could not do in their home country.
But some who learned these ideas went back and reformed their own country.
For example, a less covered story is about the Mexicans who left because of Obama's policies (often voluntarily because they lost their jobs when businesses were fined if they didn't check on the immigration status of their employees). Others were merely deported (he deported 3 million illegal immigrants during his 8 years) .
WaPost article ((2012) about the returnees boosting Mexico's middle class.
Most people know Trumpie's propaganda about all that money sent back by illegal immigrants that keep the Mexican economy afloat (sort of like the Philippines), but the picture is a bit more complicated than that.
Alas, corruption and drug cartel anarchy are a major problem in Mexico, so sending back a couple million of their citizens could destabilize the place.
for later listening:
Strategypage podcast on Mexico's troubles.
----------------------
update: AlJ reports on an anti immigrant rally in South Africa: violence is expected alas... and the cause is locals blame high unemployment and crime on immigrants.
INTERACTIVE: Xenophobia in South Africa - Causes, attacks and historyMany locals have alleged that the targets were brothels and drug dens being run by migrants from elsewhere in Africa, including Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
I have friends in Zimbabwe: about ten percent of the country, mainly the educated and young, have immigrated due to that country's economic collapse, due to corruption/ socialist policies and western sanctions.
And, I have pointed out in the past, the film "District 9", about ET prawns who migrated to earth but didn't assimilate, was based on this short film that ridiculed the anti immigrant feelings there.
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