According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), as of May 10th, close to 900 children are no longer in a combat group fighting the Boko Haram, a terrorist organization from Nigeria. These children acted as soldiers in the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a militia that was formed to protect people from attacks by the extremist group.

In total, 894 minors, which included 106 girls, were demobilised. They were operating in Maiduguri, which is in Nigeria’s northeast region. The militia, which is made up of common citizens, has been funded by the government to support the country’s armed forces since 2013. Groups such as these are criticised by countries that side with Nigeria against Boko Haram because they recruit children to fight.

“Children have been used by groups in combatant roles whether they are armed or not. They witnessed violence and death,” said Mohamed Fall, a UNICEF representative for Nigeria. “This participation in the conflict has had serious implications for their physical and emotional well-being.” According to UNICEF, from now on, these children will go back to studying so they can have a healthy life far from war.

History

Since September 2017, 1,727 children and young adults have been released from soldier duty by the CJTF. Two years ago, the militia signed an agreement to end child participation in the conflict.

Between 2013 and 2017, more than 3,500 children were recruited by armed groups to operate in the conflict in Nigeria. The war has destroyed 1,400 schools and has left 27 thousand dead and 1.7 million homeless since it started in 2009.

Sources: Aljazeera, Folha de S. Paulo, the UN, and UNICEF

QUESTIONS

1) According to the text, which information is not correct?

a) The war destroyed more than a thousand schools in Nigeria.

b) Close to 900 children started fighting against Boko Haram in May.

c) Over two years, more than a thousand children and young adults have been released from working as soldiers.

d) Children who participated in the conflict could have health problems.

2) What do you think could be done to stop children from participating in wars?