Weak states and child soldiering in Africa : contextual factors

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Over the last forty years Africa has been one of the most conflict-ridden regions in the world,resulting in untold human suffering. It has been estimated that between 1955 and 1999 somenine to ten million people have died as a result of violent conflict in Africa. However, thosesuffering the most in these wars are not merely the defenceless victims of conflict, but also itsactive perpetrators. More than 120 000 children under the age of 18 years have been forced orrecruited to participate in armed conflicts across Africa. Although the use of children in armedconflict is not a new phenomenon, it has never been as widespread and as brutal as during thepast decade.Governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, securityinstitutes and the media have conducted extensive research on the phenomenon of childsoldiers, specifically focusing on the demobilisation and reintegration of child combatants.Surprisingly, not much research has been conducted on why particular states are more prone toutilise these little soldiers than others.This thesis attempts to fill that gap by analysing the circumstances under which children areutilised as soldiers in Africa. This aim is divided into three subdivisions, namely to describe thetype of states in which children are utilised as soldiers, to analyse the conflicts in which childsoldiers are utilised, and to describe the socio-economic conditions that urge children to take uparms.An analysis of the child soldier-phenomenon suggests that it transpires in weak states. Thesestates exhibit very distinct characteristics, including serious problems of legitimacy, the absenceof one cohesive national identity, the presence of opposing local strongmen, high levels ofinstitutional weakness, economic underdevelopment, and a vulnerability to external internationalforces. The weakness of these states is created by the fragmentation of social control amongstvarious social organisations, which is in turn caused by the expansion of the world economyfrom Europe and also by colonialism. This fragmentation poses immense challenges to stateleaders and forces them to adopt very distinct political policies, which put certain limitations onthe process of state-making.In response to this, leaders have adopted a number of social, political and economic strategies.These, together with the socio-economic conditions - specifically poverty - within weak statesoften create civil violence. These strategies include political centralisation, authoritarianism,ethnic politics, the manipulation of democratic processes and mechanisms, patronage politicsand the manipulation of state economic structures and policies. However, in order tosuccessfully execute these strategies, rulers need wealth-creating resources, which usuallyresult in the exploitation of scarce natural resources. Warlords and local strongmen also exploitresources to purchase arms to combat both government forces and opposing strongmen. Inaddition, large international private companies cash in on the financial advantages accrued fromconflict. This leads to the formation of entrenched war economies. In the end then, these warsbecomean excuse to plunder natural resources for private enrichment.A very distinct characteristic of these conflicts is the widespread use of child soldiers. All thearmed groups in Africa's wars, including government armed forces, paramilitary groups andarmed opposition groups, are to a greater or lesser extent guilty of recruiting, forcefullyconscripting, press-ganging and deploying child soldiers.However, states that utilise child soldiers all exhibit similar socio-economic characteristics.Poverty is endemic. Famine is widespread and magnifies the problems caused by war andpoverty even further. The provision of medical and health care is insufficient because of thevast number of war wounded and the destruction of hospitals and clinics. This is alsoaggravated by the high numbers of HIV/AIDS sufferers. Schools are destroyed, educationalsystems are often poorly developed and illiteracy is widespread. In addition, due to years ofwar and civil unrest, millions of people are displaced and forced to become refugees. Thesesocio-economic characteristics create the ideal breeding ground for the recruitment of childsoldiers.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University