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The International Research Center for the Prevention of Child Soldiers (CIRPES) in Dakhla signed four memorandums of understanding with African institutions on Friday to strengthen the prevention of child recruitment in armed conflicts and ensure their protection and reintegration.
The agreements aim to improve care mechanisms and consolidate regional cooperation in child protection. CIRPES signed with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Coordination of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Program to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of children associated with armed groups.
The center also partnered with Chad’s Center for Reception, Re-education, and Reintegration of Children in Koundoul, which specializes in caring for vulnerable minors and children in conflict with the law.
A third memorandum linked CIRPES with Kenya’s Quakers Peace Initiative, an organization focused on preventing child recruitment, fighting juvenile delinquency, and promoting community resilience.
The fourth agreement established a partnership with Cameroon’s Local Youth Corner, recognized for its rehabilitation and reintegration programs for youth affected by violence and extremism in the Lake Chad basin.
CIRPES President Abdelkader Filali said the signing marks a crucial step in the center’s development four years after its creation. He noted that the Rabat Declaration, adopted after the African Ministerial Conference on DDR, consolidates the achievements of the 2017 Paris and Vancouver Principles.
“This new framework marks a major advance by strengthening the coherence of international commitments and opening the way to renewed dynamics of sustainable and effective reintegration of children affected by armed conflicts,” Filali said.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s P-DDRCS National Coordinator, Ntanga Ntita Jean de Dieu Désire, indicated that the partnerships can strengthen national capacities, improve reliable data production, and support decision-making in preventing child recruitment and ensuring sustainable community reintegration.
Separatist militias persist in using children unlawfully
Morocco established CIRPES in Dakhla in late March 2022, positioning the city as a regional hub for documenting violations, supporting reintegration strategies, and countering child recruitment in armed conflicts. The center’s creation came as Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita warned about child recruitment in Polisario-run Tindouf camps.
During the inauguration, Bourita declared that “the indoctrination and recruitment of children by the armed militias of the Polisario constitute an inhuman crime.” He argued the practice violates UN Security Council resolutions and fuels instability in North Africa and the Sahel.
The top diplomat noted at the time that children living in conflict zones and at risk of recruitment tripled from 99 million in 1990 to 337 million in 2020. While 170,000 children were released from armed groups over 25 years, only a limited number achieved successful identification and reintegration.
At Thursday’s African Ministerial Conference on DDR in Rabat, Bourita called for developing a new legal instrument to combat child soldiers effectively. He stressed Africa needs to adopt a legal framework tailored to continental realities and capable of meeting current challenges.
“A deeper analysis shows that the ongoing recruitment of children by armed groups undermines all efforts to restore stability in the affected countries,” the minister said at the conference opening.
The chief foreign affairs official contended Africa’s efforts remain insufficient, with an estimated 120,000 child soldiers on the continent, accounting for 40% of all child soldiers worldwide. He emphasized that separatist and terrorist groups continue using children in criminal activities with impunity.
UNICEF reports more than 105,000 children were verified as recruited for conflicts between 2005 and 2022, though actual figures are believed to be significantly higher. Children serve as frontline fighters, scouts, porters, spies, guards, cooks, and, in some cases, as sexual slaves.
Bourita proposed creating a “child-centered Group of Friends on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration” to mobilize political leadership and legal expertise for developing an African convention on preventing child recruitment and reintegrating affected children.
The Friday ceremony included Chad’s CNAREEV Director Fatime Ousmane Ali, Kenya Quakers Peace Initiative Director Odera Christine Achieng, Cameroon’s Local Youth Corner Director Achaleke Christian Leke, and several African consuls general based in Dakhla.
Source: Morocco word news
