Boko Haram recruited 2000 children into conflict in 2016, UN says

Data from the United Nations shows Boko Haram recruited nearly 2000 boys and girls to be used in armed conflict in 2016 alone. The revelation came as the United Nations Children’s Fund said up to 65,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups in the last 10 years. More than 20,000 of […]

Data from the United Nations shows Boko Haram recruited nearly 2000 boys and girls to be used in armed conflict in 2016 alone.

The revelation came as the United Nations Children’s Fund said up to 65,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups in the last 10 years.

More than 20,000 of them were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nearly 9,000 in the Central African Republic, and over 1,600 children in Chad, estimates show.

The announcement came as world leaders gathered in Paris on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Commitments to end the use of children in conflict.

“Ten years ago the world made a commitment to the children of war and matched it with action – action that has helped give 65,000 children a new chance for a better life,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

“But today’s meeting is not only about looking back at what has been accomplished — but looking forward to the work that remains to be done to support the children of war.”

It is difficult to confirm exact number of children used and recruited in armed conflicts. The recruitments are unlawful.

But UNICEF estimates tens of thousands of boys and girls aged under 18 are used in conflicts around the world.

Some 17,000 childrenn have been recruited in South Sudan and 10,000 in the Central African Republic since 2013.

In Yemen, the UN has documented nearly 1,500 cases of child recruitment since the conflict escalated in March 2015.

The number of countries that have endorsed the Paris Commitments nearly doubled in 10 years, from 58 countries in 2007 to 105 at present, signalling an increasing global commitment to end the use of children in conflict.

The Paris International Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Children in Armed Conflicts has called for unconditional release of all children, without exception, and putting an end to child recruitment; increased resources to help reintegrate and educate children who have been released; and urgent action to protect internally displaced children, child refugees and migrants.

“As long as children are still affected by the fighting, we cannot give up the fight for the children,” Lake said.