Sudan's Current Conflict
Over the past 20 years, more than two million civilians have been killed and 4.5 million displaced, many from the south. In 2002, the SPLA and the government forces signed the Machakos protocol aimed at creating peace in southern Sudan, but violence and bloodshed has continued. After the signing of the protocol, the internal conflict rose to unprecedented levels in the Western Upper Nile. After three years of continued conflict and savage wars throughout Sudan, the SPLA and government forces came to a peace-accord. Even though violence has continued, violence between the SPLA and government forces has decreased substantially. After the signing of the accord, the rebel group called “National Redemption Front” formed from the combination of previous rebel groups that did not support the peace-accord.
Violence and conflicts have continued throughout Sudan between the rebel groups and the government forces. Also, the death of hundreds of civilian has been reported along the border with Chad because of the ongoing conflict with rebel groups in southern Sudan. These new ongoing conflicts have resulted in the separation of a quarter of a million people from aid and resources. The genocide of the people of Darfur has also polarized the country. Militia groups and the ignorance of the government forces has created a dire situation in which millions of people have been killed or displaced because of the long history of ethnic strife. The country today finds itself in shambles because of all of the militia and rebel groups.
Sudan's Use of Child Soldiers
The government forces, the government-supported militias, and opposition rebel groups have continuously recruited child soldiers. There are an estimated 16,000 child soldiers, even though the SPLA claims to have undergone demobilization efforts, re-recruiting. These child soldiers have been used by rebel groups in the continued civil conflicts throughout the country. The SPLA uses the child soldiers in order to kill the people of southern Sudan. These children are put through extensive training and indoctrination in order to make thousands of mindless killers. In some instances, children as young as 5-years old have committed unspeakable atrocities.
In the western Nile region, factions and rebel groups abduct and forcefully train children as warriors. These children are used primarily for protection of the oil fields spread throughout the Darfur region. Children are continuously murdered by government forces because they fear that these children will be recruited by opposition rebel groups.
