Child Soldiers in Sudan's Civil War and the Cycles of Violence They Perpetuate

By Addison Wooster

Commentary

The use of illegal child soldiers by all factions in the ongoing Sudanese Civil War threatens the lives of tens of thousands of children through the inhumane recruitment process and exposure to violence in combat while driving cycles of violence in communities preempting future efforts to restore peace in the region.

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"Minkaman, Awerial County, South Sudan" by Oxfam East Africa is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Over the 20th and 21st centuries, Sudan has experienced numerous conflicts that have left the country without a consistently stable government, working court system, and established community networks. The main conflicts include the First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972), Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005), Darfur Conflict (2003-present), and the ongoing civil war (2023-present), all of which used child soldiers The two main factions in the ongoing civil war, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), have both recruited and utilized child soldiers, who serve as combatants. Thousands of child soldiers fill their ranks and are among the over 24 million children who have been directly impacted by the conflict in some way during the first year of the war, including 14 million in dire need of humanitarian aid, 19 million unable to attend school, 4 million displaced, and many untold numbers the victims of war crimes. 

The Illegality of Child Soldiers

This widespread use of child soldiers is a blatant violation of international law. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted several laws banning the recruitment and enlistment of child soldiers, including the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, which was ratified in 2000, and signed by Sudan in 2005. Additionally, the International Criminal Court has ruled the use of child soldiers as a war crime, and Sudanese law, under the Child Act of 2010, prohibits the recruitment of persons under 18, with the punishment of death or life imprisonment. Its illegality has not stopped the longstanding abuse of children within the Sudanese military, paramilitary, and rebel forces. Sudan’s near-constant state of civil unrest, characterized by a rotation of dictatorships, civil wars, and corruption, has made child soldiers a regular facet of warfare.

Child Soldiers in the Current Civil War

The recruitment of child soldiers by both the RSF and the SAF is driven by the instability of the region. The lack of community safety nets, stable education, impartial justice systems, and governments focused on protecting the lives of its citizens has led to a climate where children are commoditized. Children are regularly traded for money, protection (both physical and political), food, medical care, or are given to forces by their parents who are in support of a particular side of the conflict. 

Even though most children are forced into combat, there are even some children who voluntarily sign up to join the conflict, seeking refuge from the abuse civilians face and access to resources in the ranks of soldiers. Loyalty to particular factions because of political beliefs also plays a role, though it most often comes down to survival in the decision to volunteer. Voluntary enlistments by persons under the age of 18 for active combat are illegal under Sudanese law. Children ages 15 or older can voluntarily sign up for non-combat service under Protocol II of the Geneva Convention, but many steps must be taken for that service to be legal. There is no sign that those measures are being taken during the active conflict in Sudan, as there are no systems for verifying the informed consent of the parents and children within the known recruitment process. 

Child soldiers participate in several roles within the civil war. They most commonly participate in combat as light infantry and have been utilized in acts of terror, such as suicide bombings. In addition to combat roles, child soldiers also serve as porters, guards, cooks, spies, messengers, and other vital supporting roles. These roles still present an active danger to the lives and development of children, as they still work within war zones, and their education is not prioritized in any way. The presence of children in these roles results from many strategic benefits in opposition to adults, including lower resource requirements to sustain children, significantly less suspicion in espionage or terror plots, and children being less fearful of dangerous situations. These roles are most commonly held by male child soldiers, but female child soldiers also face incredibly large amounts of abuse, risk, and hardship through sexual exploitation and sex slavery, including being sold and traded as soldier “wives” — child brides who are trafficked to soldiers as a reward for their service. Sexual violence is prevalent within the entire landscape of the civil war, and it is the forced abduction and trafficking of girls within the military structures that leads them to be classified as soldiers by the UN. 

The thousands of female victims of the various factions of the civil war face extreme humiliation as part of the dehumanizing process of sexual slavery. Extensive torture and rape in front of family members are often committed by groups of soldiers. According to the UN, over 12 million women and girls are at risk of sexual violence in Sudan.

What is the impact of child soldiers?

The impact of the recruitment of child soldiers includes the often forceful breaking up of families and communities, malnutrition, a lack of childhood education, and severe mental, emotional, sexual, and physical trauma. Because of these experiences, child soldiers often suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues. These conditions are frequently lifelong and debilitating. Many former child soldiers report recurrent intrusive thoughts, nightmares, psychological distress, and, in the worst cases, psychosis. 

The use of child soldiers also perpetuates the cycle of violence that often plagues politically unstable regions. A study by a German non-profit called Vivo International has discovered that former child soldiers have not only higher rates of traumatic disorders, but also show more aggression and willingness to engage in violence than former adult soldiers, which can be seen in their higher reenlistment rates. Children who are repeatedly exposed to violence in any context have been shown to be at a higher risk for violent behavior, which is dangerously coupled with studies that have proved that exposure to war creates more acceptance of violence in civilian communities.

These studies indicate that Sudanese` children are being indoctrinated into cultures of violence that often perpetuate the larger cycles of violence that keep regions in a continual state of war and unrest. Preventing the use of child soldiers in the Sudanese Civil War, as well as in every other conflict, can help not only the individuals but also entire regions by creating a society and military structure less inclined to abject violence and crimes against civilians.

What can be done?

Important steps that organizations like international organizations like the UN can take to help child soldiers include the creation of rehabilitation and reintegration programs. Non-governmental organizations, such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children, have already established education, demobilization, medical, and psychological care centers within the country, which can serve as models for larger programs. These have helped to end cycles of violence within sections of Sudanese society and ensure faster individual and community recovery from conflict.

Other international missions that would greatly contribute to improving this situation include collaboration between the UN and the African Union (AU) in peacekeeping missions that seek to prevent the forced enlistment of children. Ongoing collaborative efforts, such as that of the 2007-2020 African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), would be impactful if more resources were focused on protecting children from conflict, along with alleviating extreme poverty that drives recruitment. Finally, those who employ child soldiers must also be held accountable for their crimes against humanity by national and international courts, as it is only through proper accountability that victims have their justice and the committing of such crimes is deterred. 

To protect thousands of children, the cessation of the use of child soldiers in the Sudanese Civil War and other such conflicts must be immediate, with proper resources being allocated to both them and the rest of the civilian population for their recovery. Prohibiting the use of child soldiers would not only help to end the cycles of violence that plague Sudan but also ensure a greater chance at peace and prosperity in the broader region.

Addison Wooster is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Washington studying political science and public policy.