Homeland Security

The Child Guerrillas of the Northeast - II
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Issue Courtesy: Aakrosh | Date : 15 Aug , 2011

Dearth of cadres has forced outfits to adopt ingenious tactics also in Assam albeit in a manner more devastating than in Manipur. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has been forced to “outsource” terror on several occasions to avoid detection by security forces, which would have further reduced its strength and led to the disclosure of vital information on hideouts and operations. Several bomb blasts in Guwahati during 2005–2009 have been triggered by teenagers from impoverished families who were tasked to carry the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from remote locations and place them near markets in the city.

As long as insurgency continues to create an opportunity space for children, they will continue to be drawn to armed groups as a way to meet basic needs.

Police officials are of the view that on a few occasions, young boys from Bangladeshi migrant families have also been utilised to carry out operations in return for a fixed sum of money, which ran into a few thousands. Usually, children would be briefed about the procedure and route and almost nothing would be disclosed about the organisation and so the damage would be minimal even if they were caught. Not surprisingly, the police drew a blank when two 8-year-olds—Ganesh Das and Babu Chetri—were apprehended in Guwahati on 13 August 2009 on charges of extortion. On interrogation, the boys revealed they have been sent by a man from a nearby town to collect money from two shopkeepers who he said had taken a loan from him some time ago. The shopkeepers told the police that the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had been intimidating them since the past several months and even threatened to kill them if they did not pay a fixed amount every year.

Proliferation and technological advancement of small arms, such as pistols, assault rifles, and grenade launchers have facilitated the transformation of children into fighters just as deadly as any adult. For most of human history, weapons relied on the brute strength of the operator. They also typically required years of training to master, which was apparently prohibitive to the effective use of children as soldiers. A child who was not physically mature could not bear the physical burdens of serving in the phalanx of the ancient Greek hoplites or carrying the weight of the medieval knight’s armour, let alone serve as an effective combatant.

“¦there have been many recent improvements in manufacturing, such as the incorporation of plastics, which has made automatic rifles so light that children can use them as effectively and easily as adults.

Even until a few generations ago, personal battlefield weapons such as the bolt action rifles of World War II were heavy and bulky, limiting children’s participation. However, there have been many recent improvements in manufacturing, such as the incorporation of plastics, which has made automatic rifles so light that children can use them as effectively and easily as adults. Just as important, most of these weapons have been simplified in their use to the extent that they can be stripped, reassembled and fired by a child younger than 10. The ubiquitous Russian-made Kalashnikov AK-47, which weighs 10.5 pounds, is a prime example. Having only nine parts, it is simple, designed to be exceptionally handy and requires little maintenance. On the basis of interviews of child guerrillas in Africa, an author concluded that it takes children 30 minutes to learn their use.16

Proliferation of small arms in the Northeast and neighbouring Myanmar has become so organised that even the Maoists of central India are reported to have struck deals with militant outfits in the region for unhindered supplies.17 Gone are the days when militants had to track thousands of kilometres to China to bring a few sacks of arms and ammunition or depend upon agents in various countries for consignments to get delivered. Now, weapons are stacked in huge quantities across the border in Myanmar, at Tamu, Homalin and Tidim, and agents who take orders are found along the entire stretch of the Indo-Myanmar border.

Women and children have been used by the outfits sometimes to bring in ammunition since they stand fewer chances of detection.

If the order is huge, the order is placed with agents deep inside Myanmar, in places like Kachin and Kokang, who get in touch with agencies in China and Thailand. The consignment could be ferried along the Chindwin and Irrawady rivers or even along roads with a tacit understanding with the police and army officials. Then they would be transported in small consignment into Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram through routes that keep changing depending on the deployment of the security forces. Women and children have been used by the outfits sometimes to bring in ammunition since they stand fewer chances of detection.18 In the Northeast, the border town of Moreh in Manipur and Dimapur in Nagaland are hubs where orders are taken and deals clinched. A part of the consignment may sometimes be kept by a militant outfit as “tax” for allowing passage through their territory.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Rajeev Bhattacharyya is the Chief of bureau of the Northeast with Bengal Post. He was earlier associated with Times Now, the Times of India, the Telegraph and the Indian Express, and was selected for the prestigious Chevening Fellowship for young Indian print journalists, which he completed in the University of Westminster, Harrow, UK.  

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