Tag: Child Soldiers

Over 14,000 schools shut, 1,364 child-soldiers recruited in W’Africa’ in 2024 – UN

Aminu Imam
Child soldiers recruited

The United Nations (UN) has raised the alarm on the escalating humanitarian crisis of terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, revealing that at least 1,364 children were recruited by armed groups in 2024, while over 14,000 schools have been forced to shut down due to insecurity. This was made known on Wednesday by Leonardo Simão, UN Under Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, at the Regional Conference on Combating Emerging Terrorist Groups and Strengthening Sustainable Security in the ECOWAS Region and the…

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Former Ugandan child soldier awaits ICC judgment on war crimes

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Judges at the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) will on Thursday 4th February, 2021 give their verdict on whether or not a Ugandan former child soldier is liable of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Experts see it as a defining moment for the victims of a two-decade-long rebellion in northern Uganda until 2006, which made homeless over 1.9 million people and left tens of thousands of people dead. Uganda took the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebel case to the ICC in December 2003, close to two years after the…

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Boko Haram now recruiting child soldiers MNJTF warns

Ishaku Yohanna

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) said the Boko Haram terrorist group has introduced the use of child soldiers to resuscitate its declining influence in the Lake Chad Basin. The Chief of Military Public Information for MNJTF, Timothy Antigha, said this in a statement issued from NDjamena Chad on Thursday. Colonel Antigha added that Boko Haram Terrorists confirmed their atrocious act when they posted pictures of children dressed in military fatigue and holding assault rifles in a video released during the Sallah celebrations. Earlier, Boko Haram have engaged in the…

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