News Article by AFP posted on December 06, 2000 at 12:31:30: EST (-5 GMT)
Khartoum accuses US of recruiting Sudanese children for Marines
KHARTOUM, Dec 6 (AFP) - Khartoum's top diplomat accused the
United
States of planning to recruit thousands of Sudanese children
into the US
Marine Corps from a refugee camp in Kenya, in remarks
published Wednesday.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail was quoted by
independent Al-Rai
Al-Aam daily as saying his ministry had learnt
that the US wants to recruit
3,800 Sudanese children from Kakoma
refugee camp in north Kenya as Marines.
The children were reportedly being moved from Kenya for
resettlement in
the United States, in collaboration with the United
Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR).
But Ismail said: "Preliminary information obtained by the
(foreign
ministry's) fact-finding committee indicates that the
purpose of the
transportation was not resettlement as alleged by
Washington."
He added that the committee would continue investigating the
matter with a
view to "taking the necessary action towards the
American behavior."