Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Overruling His Experts, Pompeo Keeps Saudis Off US Child Soldiers List

Reuters

   WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blocked the inclusion
   of Saudi Arabia on a U.S. list of countries that recruit child
   soldiers, dismissing his experts' findings that a Saudi-led coalition
   has been using under-age fighters in Yemen's civil war, according to
   four people familiar with the matter.

   The decision, which came after a fierce internal debate, could prompt
   new accusations by human rights advocates and some lawmakers that U.S.
   President Donald Trump's administration is prioritizing security and
   economic interests in relations with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a major
   U.S. ally and arms customer.

   Pompeo's move comes amid heightened tensions between the United States
   and Iran, the Saudis' bitter regional rival. State Department experts
   recommended adding Saudi Arabia to the soon-to-be released list based
   in part on news reports and human rights groups' assessments that the
   desert kingdom has hired child fighters from Sudan to fight for the
   U.S.-backed coalition in Yemen, the four sources said.

   The experts' recommendation faced resistance from some other State
   Department officials who, according to three of the sources, argued
   that it was not clear whether the Sudanese forces were under the
   control of Sudanese officers or directed by the Saudi led coalition.

   A New York Times report in December cited Sudanese fighters saying
   their Saudi and United Arab Emirates commanders directed them at a safe
   distance from the fighting against the coalition's foes, Iran-aligned
   Houthi militias.

   "The allegations of recruiting child soldiers are completely incorrect
   and are not based on any evidence or factual findings," said Colonel
   Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition. He instead
   accused the Saudis' foes of using child fighters in Yemen.

   Pompeo rejected the recommendation from the experts, who are from the
   State Department's anti-human trafficking office, said the four sources
   who spoke on condition of anonymity. The office has a key role in
   investigating the use of child soldiers worldwide.

.