By: Julius Konton
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, has called for the creation of a new African legal instrument to effectively combat the recruitment and use of child soldiers across the continent.
Speaking at the opening session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of Child Soldiers, Bourita underscored the persistent legal vacuum and the lack of a unified continental framework to address the issue comprehensively.
“The time is long overdue for Africa to adopt a legal instrument tailored to its realities and capable of meeting current challenges,” he said. Such a mechanism, he added, would serve as a historic milestone, bridging the gap between existing international norms and Africa’s on-the-ground circumstances while strengthening states’ abilities to prosecute perpetrators.
Bourita emphasized that the initiative aligns with the principles championed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, particularly the spirit of solidarity, fraternity and shared destiny that Morocco promotes across Africa.
Morocco, he affirmed, “has always advocated for an Africa that fully values its youth, protects its children, and defends their dignity.”
The Rabat conference, he noted, reflects a shared continental responsibility to confront one of the most urgent moral challenges of our time: the exploitation of children in armed conflict.
Despite some progress, Bourita warned that Africa remains far from overcoming the crisis. The continent currently accounts for approximately 120,000 child soldiers, representing 40% of the global total.
The continued recruitment of children by armed groups, he said, undermines stabilization efforts across affected regions.DDR processes, while essential, remain “incomplete and at times poorly designed,” largely due to the absence of a holistic, coordinated approach.
Bourita also highlighted the role of separatist and terrorist groups in exacerbating the crisis, stressing that many continue to exploit children for criminal activities with total impunity.
“Such atrocities can in no way be tolerated,” he declared, noting that responsibility falls not only on the perpetrators but also on the leaders of these groups and the states that host or support them.
To advance collective action, the Minister proposed creating a child-centered “Group of Friends on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.”
The coalition would mobilize political leadership and legal expertise to develop a continental African convention on preventing child recruitment and supporting the reintegration of affected children.
Bourita concluded by urging African states to break the silence surrounding this grave violation and to work together toward a safer future for the continent’s children.
