While Saudi Arabia is already awash in allegations of war crimes against
children in Yemen, there are always more reports emerging. Over the
weekend, the focus is on the large number of child soldiers fighting for the Saudi-led coalition, and the Saudi kingdom’s efforts to recruit such children.
The offensive against the vital aid port of Hodeidah rested heavily on a
large influx of Sudanese troops fighting for the Saudi-led coalition.
Sudanese soldiers say that a lot of the fighters sent were children, however, with estimates of at least 20 percent under the age of 18, and as many as 40% in some units.
This was possible because Saudi Arabia put a lot of money into recruitment in the desperately impoverished Darfur region, offering as much as $10,000 to families who agreed to enlist their children to go fight in Yemen. By all indications, many did.
While Sudanese troops confirmed that this was common in Yemen, Saudi
Arabia issued a statement of blanket denial, saying that they’d never
recruited Sudanese children nor paid Sudan at all, and that Sudan was
only in the war “in the interest of regional peace.”
I’d like to see their service contract and veteran benefits…
Way cheaper than hiring adults. Capitalism triumphs once again !!
Saudi Arabia is one of Marx’s “reactionary socialisms,” not a capitalist society.
Regardless of how you classify Saudi Arabia’s oligarchy, they live in a capitalist world and there’s nothing socialist about paying parents to gamble with their children’s lives in order to clear the way for more capitalist monopolization and wealth concentration.
Capitalism is a reactionary socialism.
Maybe so, although not according to Marx. He used particular words to mean particular things.
The irony is that the Saudis, and the liar Pompeo, repeated their talking points, of accusing the Houthis of using ‘child soldiers’ and even Iran of using child soldiers (total nonsense). A classic case of projection.
Real f**king classy, that MBH. What’s next? Kittens being used as suicide bombers?