Jeffrey Gettleman reports on the continuing use of child soldiers in the conflict in Somalia, noting that they are also used and recruited by the Transitional Federal Government, which is supported by the United States. See Children Carry Guns for a U.S. Ally, Somalia. The article states that the U.S. and Somalia have not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the use of soldiers under 15, but does not point out that the U.S. has ratified an optional protocol to the CRC addressing the involvement of children in armed conflict with the same objective. Here’s video that accompanies the story.
Also: here’s a comment with more information from Human Rights Watch.