Child Soldiers in Africa
Two countries who use children as a fighting force
The Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has a population of about 65.71 million people. The Armed Forces in Congo are mostly made up of children, literally 60%. The children are encouraged to join by their parents and adult and 30% join with their parent's permission. A more serious problem is the fact that a few of these children are young females. They are mostly made to cook but are also called upon to participate in active combat if needed. They are also exploited for sexual means as well. Many of the children believe that the government should enlist soldiers when the are 18 years or older. They just want to go back to their homes and go back to school.
Democratic Republic of Congo Flag.
Child Soldiers in the DRC.
DRC Map.
Sudan
The population of Sudan is 37.2 million. About 10,000 children are soldiers in Sudan. Many of them are kidnapped from refugee camps and take to the desert where they are made to train to fight. They are only feed flour and water when they are in the service to the rebels. They are taking at a very young age, sometimes even as early as five years old. Besides those that are taken, some of them join because it is better then staying in the camp because of the poor conditions of the camp. Some are even bribed into becoming soldiers. The rebels offer them money in exchange for their service.