The Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) has intensified the recruitment of children as fighters after suffering significant losses against the Nigerian Military. This desperate move comes after the elimination of top leaders and fighters in recent military operations.
According to Security Analyst Zagazola Makama, ISWAP’s rival faction, Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), has also been recruiting child soldiers. The mass surrender of over 50,000 JAS members and clashes between the two factions have contributed to ISWAP’s recruitment drive.
The use of child soldiers by Boko Haram began in 2016, with children as young as three being conscripted and trained in combat and non-combat operations. ISWAP has also established training camps, graduating over 2,000 child soldiers who have been deployed to Mali and Niger.
Major General Christopher Musa Musa, Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, condemned the recruitment of children as a war crime and a destruction of society, noting that women are used as sex slaves while children are forced to commit atrocities.
Since 2009, Boko Haram has killed 350,000 people, mostly women and children, and displaced over three million in northeast Nigeria. The Nigerian Military has vowed to continue its efforts to combat the terrorist groups and protect civilians.
