from RUDD KONTE in Bamako, Mali
BAMAKO, (CAJ News) – CHILDREN living in conflict zones in the Central Sahel region are at greater risk of illegal recruitment by non-state armed groups.
The rebel groups are on a drive to attract young people after thousands of schools closed in the past two years due to increasing violence and COVID-19.
Save the Children, in a report published by the Migration Studies and Research Group, highlighted these as the main forces driving children into conflict at an alarming rate across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Other children feel compelled to join the armed ranks because of poverty, need to fulfill a religious duty or for security and protection.
Save the Children warned that the creation of more desperate circumstances for children in the region compounded by the impact of COVID-19 was putting boys and girls at a heightened risk of being recruited into conflict.
“Violence, poverty, and insecurity are threatening the safety of millions of children across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger,” said Eric Hazard, Pan Africa Policy Director for Save the Children.
He said only 11 percent of US $200 million required to respond to the Education crisis in the Sahel had been mobilized.
More than 4 000 schools are currently closed in the region, due to insecurity, putting over 800 000 youngsters at an increased risk of recruitment.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 8 million children were out of school due to violence and insecurity.
“The longer they are out of school, the risk of forced recruitment will only increase,” Hazard said.
– CAJ News