Entebbe|On Tuesday, the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) opened a course on Children and Armed Conflict. The course aims to strengthen member states’ ability to address the pressing issue of children in armed conflict.
The course, which attracted military police and civilian participants from ten member states, aims to improve understanding of conflict dynamics and their impact on children while also encouraging collaboration and shared insights.
Brigadier General Peter Gaetano Omola, Commander of the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre, spoke at the United Nations Regional Service Centre Entebbe about the EASF’s critical role in providing the African Union with the capabilities it needs to respond to conflicts through peace missions and interventions.
Brig Gen Omola highlighted the devastating consequences of armed conflict for millions of children worldwide, including forced recruitment as child soldiers, violence, and exploitation.
“As representatives of nations committed to peace and security, we have a shared responsibility to protect these vulnerable members of our society,” Brig Gen Omola said.
Anthony Ombara, the course’s lead facilitator, stated that the course’s goal is to increase the collective capacity of peace support operations personnel to prevent and respond to child protection issues.
“It is our moral and legal obligation to do everything in our power to protect children from the horrors of war,” he added.
Ombara highlighted the severe physical and psychological trauma that children experience during conflicts. “Children are the most affected and valuable victims during conflicts; they experience physical and psychological trauma.”
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Allen Ruhangataremwa, a key member of the EASF Secretariat, stated that the training will provide peace support operations personnel with the knowledge and skills required to prevent and respond to child protection issues during their assignments, in accordance with regional and international standards.
The course’s participants came from ten Eastern Africa Standby Force Member States: Burundi, the Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, the Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda.
The above countries have signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of the Eastern Africa Standby Force.
According to the Annual Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict from August 2023 to July 2024, children have suffered disproportionately as a result of conflict parties’ flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law.
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