AU Pushes for Urgent Action to Protect Vulnerable Children

Despite decades of international efforts to eradicate the practice, the recruitment of child soldiers remains a grim reality across several African nations. Reports from the United Nations and Human Rights Watch continue to highlight the forced conscription and exploitation of children in armed conflicts, where they serve not only as combatants but also as porters, spies, and in other supporting roles. The consequences are devastating, leaving deep psychological and physical scars on these children while destabilizing entire communities.

Amid growing concerns over the exploitation of children in armed conflicts, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) convened in Addis Ababa last month, issuing a resounding call to end the practice. The high-level session sought not only to confront the grim reality of child recruitment but also to chart a path toward lasting solutions, tackling both its immediate dangers and the deep-rooted instability it fuels across the continent.

In its official statement, the Council condemned the continued use of children in armed conflicts, calling it a gross violation of human rights that fuels cycles of violence and instability. The discussion also placed emphasis on the need for stronger legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable.

Among those in attendance was Miguel Ntutumu Evuna (Amb.), Equatorial Guinea’s Permanent Representative to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for February 2025. Representatives from the AU, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) also took part, stressing the urgent need for African governments to confront the issue head-on.

A communiqué issued by the AU following the session expressed deep concerns over ongoing armed conflicts across the continent and their disproportionate impact on children. The statement highlighted the various violations children face in war zones, including forced recruitment, sexual violence, abduction, and the denial of education and healthcare. It called for full adherence to international humanitarian laws, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the use of children in armed conflict.

“The recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts by both armed forces and armed groups across the continent constitute a gross violation of human rights, child rights, and international humanitarian law,” the communiqué stated.

The AU urged its member states, along with regional economic communities, to strengthen legal and accountability frameworks to ensure those responsible for child recruitment face justice. It also called for greater investment in conflict prevention strategies, including poverty alleviation, political stabilization, and education.

“Governments and stakeholders must invest in education, economic opportunities, food security, and conflict prevention to reduce child recruitment,” the statement added.

Additionally, the communiqué emphasized the need to integrate child protection measures into AU peacekeeping operations and mediation efforts. It called for these protections to be embedded in post-conflict strategies such as disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs, as well as security sector reforms.

A call for mental health support and systemic reforms

Beyond legal and punitive measures, the African Union Commission has urged the development of a Continental Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Framework to address the long-term needs of children affected by conflict. The framework aims to provide tailored interventions to help rehabilitate and reintegrate former child soldiers into society.

Recognizing the need for proactive responses, the importance of incorporating child protection considerations into national, regional, and continental early warning systems, were also highlighted. These mechanisms, it stated, would help identify risks in a timely manner and prevent further violations.

The provision of essential services, including education, healthcare, psychosocial support, and social care—along with tailored reintegration programs—is crucial to restoring the rights of children formerly associated with armed groups, according to the statement. It further stressed that child-centered responses are key to mitigating vulnerabilities and preventing future exploitation.

Education and funding: Critical pillars for child protection

Member States were urged to maintain educational continuity in conflict zones and fully implement the Safe Schools Declaration, a commitment to safeguarding education from attack. It also called on African governments, the AU Commission, and the international community to allocate dedicated funding for child-focused programs, both for conflict prevention and post-conflict rehabilitation.

Moreover, the PSC called for greater collaboration among international partners, civil society organizations, and humanitarian agencies to bolster child protection efforts. Knowledge-sharing and advocacy, it argued, are vital for ensuring the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of children who were formerly associated with armed groups while preventing their re-recruitment.



The communiqué also commended Member States that have ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and other international agreements protecting children’s rights. At the same time, it urged those that have not yet done so to ratify and fully implement these frameworks.

“Member States who have not yet ratified these instruments are encouraged to do so,” the PSC stated, emphasizing that effective implementation is essential for better child protection across the continent.

To deepen understanding of the crisis, the communiqué called on the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) to finalize a comprehensive study on child soldiers in Africa for presentation to AU policymakers. It also welcomed ACERWC’s initiative to produce an annual report on children in conflict situations, which could guide future interventions.

Reaffirming its commitment to eradicating child soldier recruitment, the Council urged all stakeholders—including governments, regional bodies, and civil society—to intensify efforts to create a safe and nurturing environment for Africa’s children.

A persistent challenge

Despite international and regional efforts, the recruitment of child soldiers remains a widespread issue in Africa, particularly in regions plagued by internal conflict. Human rights advocate Yared Hailemeskel noted that the use of children in armed conflicts is not a new phenomenon but has escalated with the proliferation of internal armed struggles.

Citing key examples, Yared pointed to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Central and East Africa, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, all of which have relied on child soldiers to bolster their ranks.

Reports indicate that over 21,000 children have been recruited by government forces and armed groups across Africa over the past five years. In 2021 alone, Africa accounted for approximately 40 percent of the world’s child soldier population.

Many of these children are forcibly conscripted or coerced into combat, espionage, logistical roles, or sexual slavery. Girls, in particular, face extreme vulnerabilities, often subjected to gender-based violence, forced marriages, and other forms of exploitation.

Governments also implicated in child soldier recruitment

While armed groups are often at the center of child soldier recruitment, Yared emphasized that governments across Africa have also faced accusations of enlisting children into their forces. Such actions, he noted, violate international human rights laws and constitute criminal offenses.

“Even if children are willing to participate in armed conflict, training and deploying them in any capacity is a crime,” Yared said.

He highlighted Ethiopia as a case in point, citing allegations of child soldier recruitment during the war in Tigray as well as ongoing conflicts in the Amhara and Oromia regional states.

“The involvement of children in Ethiopia’s armed conflicts—whether in the northern war, where the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was documented recruiting child soldiers, or in operations involving the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), also known as Shene, and the ongoing violence in the Amhara region—has been confirmed through various images and video sources,” he said.

Such practices, he added, directly contravene the Ethiopian constitution, which explicitly prohibits the participation of children in armed conflicts.

International obligations and Ethiopia’s legal commitments

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) mandates signatory states, including Ethiopia, to ensure that neither government forces nor non-state armed groups recruit individuals under the age of 18 for combat or military service.

Ethiopia ratified the Protocol in May 2014, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in 2002, and ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour in 2003—each reaffirming its legal commitment to protecting children from recruitment.

Despite these international obligations, Ethiopia’s domestic laws do not explicitly define the term “child soldier.” However, the country’s legal framework relies on International Humanitarian Law, ratified human rights treaties, the FDRE Constitution, and subsidiary laws to align with global standards.

As African nations and international partners push for stronger protections, the reality remains stark: children continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts across the continent. Addressing the root causes of their recruitment—and ensuring that international laws are enforced—will be critical in breaking this cycle of exploitation.