Somalia: Information on 13-years-old males in the city of Borama being recruited into the army through a letter
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM9285 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on 13-years-old males in the city of Borama being recruited into the army through a letter, 1 August 1991, SOM9285 , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abb00.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Published information is currently unavailable to the IRBDC in Ottawa.
According to a Somali Ph.D student at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), in 1988 the Somali army was desperate for new recruits and was, therefore, recruiting very young males (16 August 1991).
A Somali scholar at the Department of African Studies at the University of Florida, Gainesville, reported that in 1988, the Somali army was mainly involved in forced recruitment (16 August 1991). The Army was recruiting in the streets by closing entire parts of cities and taking all the males it could. Also, the refugee camps were an area where there was forced recruitment.
The above information on forced recruitment is corroborated by a Ph.D student at the University of Pau in France who was involved in field research in Somalia (16 August 1991). This source also added that by 1988 the army recruitment was based on clan allegeances. This means that the army will ask the chief of a clan to provide young males for the army. The chief would consult with his people and decide whether or not he would agree to send young males. The source mentions that for the Somali nomads, a 13-year-old teenager is entitled to participate in a war. According to this source, a lot of members of the Gadabursi clan, which was living in the city of Borama, were close to the Siad Barré regime and as such may have benefited from a more traditional form of recruitment like a letter.
Bibliography
University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). 16 August 1991. Telephone interview with a PH.D student.
Department of African Studies at the University of Florida. 16 August 1991. Telephone interview with a scholar.
University of Pau in France. 16 August 1991. Telephone interview with a PH.D student.