A former child soldier from Somalia has given harrowing testimony before a UK court, describing the brutal reality of being forced into combat by the Al-Shabaab militant group. The man, now in his 20s, faces a war crimes trial for acts committed while under the age of 18, raising profound ethical and legal questions about culpability and trauma.
Speaking through an interpreter, he recounted how he was abducted at age 12 and indoctrinated into a world where survival meant obeying orders without question. “It was kill or be killed,” he said. “They told us we were soldiers for God. But we were children.” His voice cracked as he described being forced to participate in attacks, witnessing executions, and fleeing the group only to be captured and threatened with death.
The case has sparked debate about the UK’s approach to prosecuting individuals for crimes committed as minors, particularly those coerced by terrorist organisations. Legal experts argue that international law prohibits the prosecution of child soldiers for acts committed during their forced service, while victims’ families demand accountability.
The defendant’s lawyers have submitted evidence of his traumatic past, including psychiatric reports showing severe PTSD. They argue that he should be treated as a victim rather than a perpetrator. But the Crown Prosecution Service maintains that the severity of the crimes, which include murder and aiding terrorism, warrants a trial.
This is not an isolated case. The UK has seen a rise in prosecutions linked to foreign conflicts, with technology enabling better tracking of alleged war criminals. Yet the ethics of trying those who were once victims themselves remain unsettled. Some human rights groups warn that such trials risk criminalising trauma and undermining the progress made in rehabilitating former child soldiers.
The court heard that the man now lives in a UK city, having been granted asylum after fleeing Somalia. He has been in custody since his arrest on terrorism charges related to his time with Al-Shabaab. His testimony, delivered in a calm but sometimes tearful voice, painted a picture of a child stripped of agency and forced into an adult world of violence.
As the trial continues, it forces a confrontation with uncomfortable truths about how we define guilt and innocence when the perpetrator is also a victim. The judge has instructed the jury to consider the age and circumstances of the defendant at the time of the alleged offences. But for the man in the dock, the line between soldier and child was erased long ago, in the dusty streets of Mogadishu.
