Center for UN Constitutional Research - May 2018
The conflict in Somalia has gained a position in the world’s top 10 countries for terrorist attacks, with al-Shabaab becoming Africa’s most prominent terrorist group. Over half of al-Shabaab’s forces are now children. Nearly 30 years of conflict has resulted in a ‘lost generation’- children who have only experienced chaos and violence, left with few opportunities to survive. Over half of the population of Somalia is under the age of 25, indicating youths’ preponderancy in the future of stability in the country. This paper analyzes al-Shabaab’s strengths, factors that contribute to the ‘lost generation’, the use of child soldiers in Somalia, atrocities by the SNA and AMISOM, US involvement and the rehabilitation of children. This paper argues that there is a direct relationship between the youth of Somalia and terrorism, with youth being the determinant in either the acquirement of stability or the growth of terrorism in Africa and worldwide.
