In The Front Lines

In The Front Lines

   On a bright spring day in May, Stephen and his classmates were herded into a classroom by rebel forces and then forcefully abducted. Taken away from their friends, families, and hometown, Stephen and 100 of his classmates were forced onto the front lines of South Sudan’s war as child soldiers (Burridge). The conflict, which escalated into a civil war, first started when President Salva Kiir of the Dinka ethnic group accused his prime minister, Riek Machar of the Nuer group, of planning to overthrow his regime. Despite a ceasefire agreement in 2014, government and rebel forces continue to fight over dominance, destroying villages and schools in the process (Buchanan). There are currently an estimated 11,000 children fighting in the Sudanese civil war — a number the UN says may be grossly underestimated (Burridge). But how do these children end up becoming child soldiers in the first place?

Forceful abductions are the most common recruiting method. Unfortunately, cases like Stephen’s are not uncommon. In February of 2015, 89 boys were abducted by rebel groups while taking exams in Upper Nile State (Nine). The United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict reported that in 2014, there were 34 incidents of child abductions for the purpose of army recruitment, some of these being mass abductions (South). While rebel groups often resort to techniques such as taking children from school or even conducting house searches, a common strategy of government forces is attacking places traditionally viewed as safe havens to force the displacement of citizens. Attacks and abductions from hospitals, churches, community centers, and even UN bases have only worked to perpetuate fear within communities (Buchanan). Even children in refugee camps set up by organizations such as the UN are not safe — surrounded by a broken landscape, failing school system, and brutal fighting between government soldiers and rebel forces, any children that wander from camp find themselves inadvertently caught up in the conflict and forced to participate (Burridge).

Some children, however, participate willingly. In South Sudan, cultural values deem young boys as mature enough to fight, which conflicts with Sudanese laws restricting military recruitment to those 18 or older (Sieff). According to Pete Walsh, who directs Save the Children in South Sudan, “[It has been] hard for cultural leaders in the communities to transition to constitutional law.” These cultural values coupled with a yearning for power and control over their own lives push many children and teens to voluntarily join the war effort (Blair). Often, displaced children without access to education or even basic resources see no other alternatives than joining rebel factions as child soldiers in order to ensure their own survival. Others are pushed into service because they see it as a legitimate employment opportunity, or hope to earn some money to support their families. Despite the risks and obvious trauma involved with fighting, many Sudanese children are drawn into the war as a result of the country’s current state of instability.

Recruiting child soldiers is a war crime that continues to persist in South Sudan as both sides of a bloody civil war attempt to gain an advantage. Voluntarily or involuntarily, children continue to fill the ranks of South Sudan’s armies. Slowly, human rights groups and the UN are working with the Sudanese to disarm the nation’s youngest soldiers. Until then, boys like Stephen will continue to be 1 in 11,000, bravely fighting for their survival in the front lines of a chaotic conflict.

Works Cited

Blair, David. "Child Soldier, 14, Already a Veteran of South Sudan's Civil War." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Buchanan, Elsa. "South Sudan: Up to 15,000 Child Soldiers Recruited in 2015 despite Peace Agreement." International Business Times RSS. 22 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

Burridge, Tom. "Child Soldiers Still Being Recruited in South Sudan - BBC News." BBC News. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

"Nine-Year-Old Girl in Record Release of South Sudan Child Soldiers." Global Issues in Context. Galegroup, 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.

Sieff, Kevin. "South Sudan Thought It Solved Its Child Soldier Problem. It Hasn't." Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

"South Sudan | United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict." United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflict. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.