Africa and Violence: The Metamorphosis and Participation of Child Soldiers in Conflict Zones

In 2017, the advocacy group for Child Soldiers International estimated that more than 100,000 children were forced to become soldiers in State and non-State military organizations in various armed conflicts worldwide. The use of child soldiers by both state and non-state actors in Africa has attracted intense condemnation by the international community. Efforts geared towards alleviating the problem have been ineffective, this is partly due to some push and pull factors, hence, the upward trajectory in the involvement of children in conflicts. Thus, this chapter helps us to gain more insight into the experiences, the roles, and the mental health status of former child soldiers in relations to their involvement in violent conflicts. Using a qualitative research method, this chapter interrogates violence in Africa in relation to its metamorphosis and the participation of child soldiers in conflict zones in Africa. Theoretically, the study relies on agency theory, rational choice theory, theory of a bounded rationality, the theory of the economics of labour coercion, and the theory of identity and the economics of organization to explain the possible reasons for its development in Africa. It concludes that going by the nature and the challenges of child soldiering in Africa, it is imperative for the international community to join forces with Africa and develop strategies that will discourage the use of child soldiers and punish those groups and governments that engage in child soldiering.