Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, underscored the alarming scale of child soldier recruitment in Africa, calling for a new legal instrument capable of addressing the crisis.
Speaking at the African Ministerial Conference on the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of Child Soldiers, Bourita revealed that the continent is home to an estimated 120,000 child soldiers, representing 40% of all child soldiers worldwide. Despite various initiatives, he stressed that Africa’s efforts remain far from sufficient.
Bourita warned that the continued recruitment of children by armed groups undermines every attempt to restore stability in affected regions. He noted that DDR programs remain incomplete and, in some cases, poorly structured due to the absence of a comprehensive and unified African legal framework.
The Minister emphasized that the recruitment and use of children by separatist and terrorist groups continues with complete impunity, urging African leaders to break their silence and confront what he described as one of the most urgent moral crises facing the continent.
To strengthen collective action, Bourita proposed the creation of a “child-centered Group of Friends on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration”, tasked with mobilizing political and legal expertise to draft a new African convention aimed at preventing the recruitment of children and ensuring their reintegration.
Bourita affirmed that the time is overdue for Africa to adopt a continent-specific legal instrument that bridges existing international norms with regional realities and enhances the ability of African states to prosecute those responsible for these crimes.
