CHILD RECRUITMENT AND EXITS FROM ARMED GROUPS:EVIDENCE FROM THE LAKE CHAD BASIN TO INFORM
THE UNSC CAAC DEBATEJUNE 2024

As the UN Security Council's open debate on Children and Armed Conflict(CAAC) approaches, UNIDIR and UNU are providing an important reminder aboutchild recruitment by armed groups and their post-association reintegration
trajectories. As Member States come together to advance efforts to protect
children in conflict, the evidence base – including from the Lake Chand Basin –should inform discussions on how to prevent and respond to the grave violation ofchild recruitment.

RECRUITMENT OCCURS ALONG A
CONTINUUM OF COERCION“Child trajectories into NSAGs occur along a continuum ofcoercion. [All the evidence suggests that]… a wide range of
coercive factors can influence child association with armed
groups.” For example, territorial control by armed groups
increases a child’s interaction with them. "Across the [LakeChad Basin] region, there are higher rates of Boko Haram[and militia/vigilante group] association among children who
experienced occupation.”

A MULTIPLICITY OF RECRUITMENT CAUSESChildren's involvement with armed groups stems frominterrelated reasons that range from extreme coercion tothe mundane. Some of the specific factors that influence
involvement include physical and food security, family andpeer networks, financial incentives, coercion, status, andidentity. "While certain structural and social factors areespecially influential in particular contexts, each child’s
trajectory is determined by a personalized cocktail ofinterconnected risks, needs, and resilience factors.”

THE FALLACY OF NEUTRALITY“In many of today’s wars, as in earlier ones, it can be virtuallyimpossible for children to remain unaffiliated with a party toconflict. When armed groups are the only employer and exert
physical control over the populace, joining an armed groupmay be the only realistic survival strategy." Likewise,children often cannot avoid association with an aligned
armed group or local self-defence vigilantes when theirfamilies and entire communities are mobilized.

THE PROSOCIAL APPEAL OF ARMED GROUPS
Armed groups, even those deemed as terrorist or “violentextremist,” can offer children and youth inside conflict zones " aready-made identity, community, and sense of significance, aswell as some semblance of order amid chaos." They exploit
children’s greater tendency towards altruism and group bonding,providing individual perks from food and financial incentives toless tangible benefits. In the Lake Chad Basin, for example,“armed groups are more likely to make recruitment promises tochildren than adults. Promises go beyond economic incentives toinclude safety, a sense of belonging, and assistance withmarriage.” Even if children do not join willingly, once inside,group processes may lead to identification and bonding,complicating exit.

EXIT MOTIVATIONS VARY
“Reasons for exiting armed groups differ among children andyoung adults and highlight a complex interplay of personal
motivations, changing circumstances, and disillusionment.”
For example, “Fear of violence or death was a primary
motivator for leaving Boko Haram, especially for girls. 18-24
year olds expressed a loss of trust in group leadership and adiminishing belief in the cause.”“EXIT” IS A PROCESS NOT A SINGULAR EVENT“Exiting armed groups during ongoing conflict is a processand often does not involve fully cutting all ties to thegroup. Many children and young adults who have left still
have family and friends in their former group” or continueinteracting with armed actors. For example, "20 per centof those who left Boko Haram as young adults reported
talking to people still with the group at least once a month
if not more often." In Nigeria, children who leave CSAs
often remain in the communities in which these groups areembedded, and many of their family and friends stay
involved.

REINTEGRATE INTO WHAT?
Many children cannot return home after armed groupassociation due to access restrictions, insecurity or,increasingly, climatic shifts that render making a living off theland more difficult. They often reintegrate into situations ofdisplacement and find themselves in a strange limbo. For
example, “Displacement remains a significant challenge forchildren exiting Boko Haram, with many unable to return home
due to ongoing conflict and living in IDP camps facing difficult
conditions that hamper reintegration progress.”