Boko Haram uses children as shields and human bombs says UN human rights chief
Children in conflicts
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Boko Haram uses suicide bombs like this one in Kano in February
Children in Nigeria have been used as 鶹APPexpendable human cannon fodder鶹APP by Boko Haram, according to the United Nations鶹APP human rights chief.
The terrorist group鶹APPs hatred of schools and in particular girls鶹APP education has also led to a campaign of attacks and abuse, saidZeid Ra鶹APPad Al Hussein.
He added: 鶹APPCredible reports indicate that Boko Haram frequently uses children as its first line of attack, as expendable cannon fodder. Bodies of children around 12 years old have been found strewn across such battlefields.
鶹APPThe group has also repeatedly used young children as human bombs, including a case of a 14-year-old girl carrying a baby on her back who detonated a bomb in a marketplace. These reports, if confirmed by a court of law, they would certainly constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.鶹APP
Mr Zeid spoke out at a special session of the yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland 鶹APP the same day that Nigerian president-elect Muhammadu Buhari vowed that Boko Haram would 鶹APPsoon know the strength of our collective will鶹APP.
President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to tackle terrorism
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that since 2009, when Boko Haram 鶹APPturned massively to violence鶹APP, that more than 15,000 people had been killed.
Mr Zeid added: 鶹APPCountless more children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement. Villages and towns have been looted and destroyed.
鶹APPBoko Haram has a specific animus against schools 鶹APP particularly the education of girls 鶹APP and its attacks have destroyed or severely damaged at least 300 schools, killed numerous students and ended with the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls.
鶹APPMy office has also received multiple reports that Boko Haram fighters who were retreating from the advance of the joint forces murdered their so-called wives 鶹APP in fact, women and girls held in slavery 鶹APP and other captives.鶹APP
He said there needed to be a strong, co-ordinated and principled response to the human rights violations. The UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution urging the international community to step up support to those African countries fighting the threat of Boko Haram.
Mr Buhari became the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria, beating the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. Yesterday he said:鶹APPWe shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.鶹APP
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