Local Editor
US Congressmen have sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking him to clarify his decision to keep Saudi Arabia off of the US child soldiers list, Al-Khaleej Online reported Wednesday.
In January, Pompeo blocked Saudi Arabia’s inclusion onto a US list of countries that recruit child soldiers, dismissing expert findings that a Saudi-led coalition has been using under-age fighters in Yemen’s civil war.
In the letter, the Congressmen said that this opposes the terms of the law regarding recruiting child soldiers ratified in 2008.
They also said that the office which monitors human trafficking had included information about a report related to Saudi’s recruitment of child soldiers.
According to the Congressmen, the report stated that Saudi might have funded Yemeni militias which sometimes used under-age fighters.
The US Congress has reiterated that the US administration is responsible for making sure that Washington does not fund the recruitment of child soldiers.
Source: MEMO, Edited by Website Team
