Page 6 - January Febuary 2016 Issue
P. 6
Children on the Battleield: A Look into the Use of Child Soldiers in the DRC Conlict
the world. From the time many countries on rivalry has not only made a bad situation
the continent gained independence there have worse, it has also brought about a
been numerous, albeit of different types and phenomenon that has become one of the most
durations. Adedeji (1999: 3) argues that during serious threats to the continent’s development
the four decades between the 1960s and the and security; the child soldier phenomenon.
1990s, about 40 sub-Saharan African countries
registered close to 80 violent changes of As conlict and warfare continue to threaten
governments. What is more, at the beginning of societies and the lives of many, the welfare
the new millennium “there were 18 countries of children would appear to be at a greater
facing armed rebellion and 11 facing severe risk than ever before. Today, large numbers
political crises” (Adedeji 1999: 5). While the of children are reportedly on battleields the
numbers might have dropped in recent years, world over, ighting wars they do not know
Africa continues to grapple with conlicts. The or being forced to support causes they know
Arab Spring, which affected Tunisia, Egypt little about (Singer 2005). The effects of
and Libya, the decade long conlicts in Liberia which are terribly felt by children themselves,
and Sierra Leone, military coups in Mali, speciically those that are recruited to serve in
Madagascar, the Central African, and deadly warfare. The use of children in armed conlicts
conlicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one aspect that had gone largely unnoticed
(DRC), Angola, Rwanda and for a long time in much of the literature.
While literature on conlict traditionally
Sudan has brought untold suffering to the focused mainly on its impact on political,
people on the continent (Adedeji 2002; economic and social development, not
Cilliers 1995; Field 2004; Laremont 2002; much was done to address the effect of such
and Tungwarara 2011). Conlicts in the region conlicts on children who incidentally happen
have been and continue to be a serious threat to be one of the most vulnerable groups in
to political, economic and social development. society. However, times have since changed.
In his report, ‘The causes of conlict and the Today, the phenomenon of child soldiers
promotion of durable peace and sustainable and its negative impacts on children has not
development in Africa’, Koi Annan, former been lost on the international community.
Secretary-General of the United Nations, noted Images of children on the battleield have
that while Africa as a whole had begun to make drawn the attention of the media, international
signiicant political and economic progress, policymakers and child rights advocates the
many parts of the region were still lagging world over; these bodies have been in the
behind because progress was being threatened forefront demanding an end to this practice
or impeded by conlicts (United Nations 1998). (Singer 2005).
This picture does not augur well for a region
whose poverty levels still remain high despite This paper looks at the child soldier
numerous efforts at development. What is more, phenomenon as one of the characteristics of
the prevalence of intra-state conlicts in Africa, conlict in Africa and the DRC in particular,
speciically in the aftermath of the East-West and argues that while poverty and political
6
the world. From the time many countries on rivalry has not only made a bad situation
the continent gained independence there have worse, it has also brought about a
been numerous, albeit of different types and phenomenon that has become one of the most
durations. Adedeji (1999: 3) argues that during serious threats to the continent’s development
the four decades between the 1960s and the and security; the child soldier phenomenon.
1990s, about 40 sub-Saharan African countries
registered close to 80 violent changes of As conlict and warfare continue to threaten
governments. What is more, at the beginning of societies and the lives of many, the welfare
the new millennium “there were 18 countries of children would appear to be at a greater
facing armed rebellion and 11 facing severe risk than ever before. Today, large numbers
political crises” (Adedeji 1999: 5). While the of children are reportedly on battleields the
numbers might have dropped in recent years, world over, ighting wars they do not know
Africa continues to grapple with conlicts. The or being forced to support causes they know
Arab Spring, which affected Tunisia, Egypt little about (Singer 2005). The effects of
and Libya, the decade long conlicts in Liberia which are terribly felt by children themselves,
and Sierra Leone, military coups in Mali, speciically those that are recruited to serve in
Madagascar, the Central African, and deadly warfare. The use of children in armed conlicts
conlicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one aspect that had gone largely unnoticed
(DRC), Angola, Rwanda and for a long time in much of the literature.
While literature on conlict traditionally
Sudan has brought untold suffering to the focused mainly on its impact on political,
people on the continent (Adedeji 2002; economic and social development, not
Cilliers 1995; Field 2004; Laremont 2002; much was done to address the effect of such
and Tungwarara 2011). Conlicts in the region conlicts on children who incidentally happen
have been and continue to be a serious threat to be one of the most vulnerable groups in
to political, economic and social development. society. However, times have since changed.
In his report, ‘The causes of conlict and the Today, the phenomenon of child soldiers
promotion of durable peace and sustainable and its negative impacts on children has not
development in Africa’, Koi Annan, former been lost on the international community.
Secretary-General of the United Nations, noted Images of children on the battleield have
that while Africa as a whole had begun to make drawn the attention of the media, international
signiicant political and economic progress, policymakers and child rights advocates the
many parts of the region were still lagging world over; these bodies have been in the
behind because progress was being threatened forefront demanding an end to this practice
or impeded by conlicts (United Nations 1998). (Singer 2005).
This picture does not augur well for a region
whose poverty levels still remain high despite This paper looks at the child soldier
numerous efforts at development. What is more, phenomenon as one of the characteristics of
the prevalence of intra-state conlicts in Africa, conlict in Africa and the DRC in particular,
speciically in the aftermath of the East-West and argues that while poverty and political
6
