The role of child soldiers in armed conflicts in Africa

Child soldiers fight in many armed conflicts around the world, with Africa being particularly affected by the problem. This paper examines the issue of African child soldiers, who have become an important instrument of modern warfare. In the context of this paper, all boys and girls under the age of 18 who actively participate in combat, as well as those who perform a variety of other tasks, are referred to as child soldiers. Child soldiers have existed since wars have been waged, but after the end of the East-West conflict, the nature of conflict changed and the number of child soldiers actively involved rose dramatically. The sharp increase in child soldiers is due to the rise in internal conflicts. Sierra Leone, where greed for diamonds prolonged a war for a whole decade, and Uganda, where political interests prevent an end to the war, are the country examples in this paper where the abuse of child soldiers has reached high levels.

Autorentext
Born and raised in Timisoara, Romania, Sandra Dumitru holds a bachelor's degree in international relations and European studies from the West University of Timisoara and a master's degree in international studies/peace and conflict studies from Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.