Tomorrow (20 February), the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) is expected to meet to discuss the theme, ‘fight against the use of child soldiers.’

Following opening remarks by Miguel Ntutumu Evuna Andeme, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for February 2025, Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), is expected to make a statement. Robert Doya Nanima, Special Rapporteur on Children and Armed Conflict, is also likely to make a statement. In addition, other invited speakers include Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Laila Omar Gad, representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to the AU and representatives from the African Platform on Children affected by Armed Conflicts (AP CAAC) (as Co-Chair), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Save the Children.

The recruitment and use of child soldiers by both state and non-state actors continue to be a widespread issue in Africa despite ongoing local and international efforts to address and eliminate the practice. Regardless of the methods of recruitment or the roles they are forced into, child soldiers are victims whose involvement in conflict has profound effects on their physical and emotional health. They often endure abuse and are frequently exposed to death, killing and sexual violence. Many are coerced into committing violent acts, leaving them with lasting psychological scars. Facilitating the reintegration of these children into civilian society is a crucial aspect of supporting their recovery and helping them rebuild their lives.

The session will take place in the context of ongoing widespread forcible recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts across Africa. These children are robbed of their innocence and forced to confront the brutalities of war. They are coerced into fighting and exploited in various roles, such as messengers, porters, spies and pawns in political struggles. Many endure unimaginable trauma, including sexual violence, with girls particularly facing increased risks. Despite efforts to end this practice, the fight is far from over. Persistent conflicts, widespread poverty, inadequate access to education and ongoing political instability continue to foster conditions in which children remain susceptible to such exploitation. Against this backdrop, this session is expected to give an update on the state of recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups in conflict situations on the Continent. Moreover, the Council is expected to agree on best practices for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups.

The 2024 Report of the UNSG on children and armed conflict highlighted a notably high increase in child recruitment, primarily by non-state armed groups, estimating that 8,655 children were recruited for conflicts in 2023. The exploitation of children in armed conflicts remains alarmingly widespread across Africa, with Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) emerging as epicentres of recruitment. In Burkina Faso, terrorist groups recruited 169 boys in 2023, while CAR documented 103 cases, including 23 instances of government and pro-government forces deploying children for logistical support. The DRC reported a staggering 1,861 recruited children—326 of them girls—though the UN noted progress in curbing recruitment by state security forces. Mali recorded 691 cases, including 79 linked to Malian security forces, prompting UN calls for criminalising child soldier use under the military junta. In Nigeria, terrorist groups abducted and exploited 680 children (431 girls), while Somalia saw 658 children recruited, predominantly by al-Shabaab (559 cases), though regional and federal forces were also implicated. South Sudan documented 152 cases, including 65 tied to the national army, while Sudan reported 209 cases—87 by the Rapid Support Forces, with 112 children forced into combat roles. Even Mozambique, often overlooked, faced 40 cases in Cabo Delgado, where insurgents weaponised children in resource-rich regions. These figures underscore a regional crisis, marked by both non-state extremism and state complicity, demanding urgent, context-specific interventions to protect children from becoming pawns in Africa’s fragmented conflicts.

Conversely, the PSC has a longstanding history of addressing the critical issue of child soldiers, marked by significant discussions and actions in several meetings. It should be recalled that the PSC, during its 420^th session held on 18 February 2014, Council, among other decisions, ‘…agreed to hold, each year, an open session of the PSC, devoted to issues of children on the continent.’ The last time the Council convened on this theme was on 27 February 2024, which came as its 1202^nd meeting. As highlighted in Amani Africa’s Insight on that session, a recurring question Council members are also expected to reflect on during tomorrow’s session is ‘What effective measures could be deployed to prevent children from being the victims of recruitment and use as child soldiers?’ It is to be recalled that from the adopted communique of the 1202^nd session, the Council requested the AU Commission, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to develop a Continental Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Framework to address the psychosocial well-being of children in conflict settings, including those formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups.’ The session also saw the PSC tasking the Commission to ‘operationalise the Child Protection Architecture as a convening platform to coordinate existing initiatives of relevant actors in the realm of protecting children’s rights in situations of conflict, thereby prompting a continental approach which aims to trigger an integrated response to the multi-dimensional challenges faced by children in conflict situations.’ Moreover, the session also saw the PSC tasking the Commission to ‘develop a best practice document of reference to prevent and end the recruitment and use of child soldiers by armed groups.’ This upcoming  PSC session presents the opportunity to follow up on the implementation of these decisions and provides a platform for the Council to reflect on the conclusions of the Banjul Process, which took place in December 2023. During this ministerial, high-level session, participants agreed on the imperative to ‘develop a Continental Child Justice Framework addressing both punitive measures and, as well as the recourse and restitution elements for child survivors.’

It is worth noting that this session is being convened just days after the commemoration of the World Red Hand Day, which is observed annually on 12 February. The day is designated to raise awareness and act against the use of children in armed conflict. The campaign encourages global participation by inviting people to make red handprints and send them to political leaders and UN agencies as a symbol of solidarity.

The expected outcome of the session is a communiqué.  The PSC may call on Member States which have not yet done so to sign, ratify and domesticate the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and other international instruments, such as the Safe Schools Declaration and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child with regard to the inclusion of children in armed conflicts. The PSC may also call on Member States to endorse, domesticate and implement the Safe Schools Declaration. Relatedly, the PSC is expected to call on the Member States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify and domesticate the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and other related international instruments. The PSC may also reiterate the need for Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), as well as the AU Commission, to mainstream child protection in early warning mechanisms and conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacemaking and peace-building processes, as well as in post-conflict reconstruction and development. A recurring request of the PSC that is also expected to feature in the discussion is for the Chairperson of the AU Commission to appoint a Special Envoy for Children Affected by Armed Conflicts in Africa to facilitate the effective implementation of the AU Child Rights Agenda.