Civil war touched the hearts of the younger generation and it affected mostly children. Because children live under supervision of adults, they suffered the hardest moments of their lives. They were forced to join the military to fight their own people. They lost their innocence not knowing the aftermath of what they were ordered to do by killing people. They became child soldiers.

Africa is a nation in which its populations are almost dominated by children under the age of 18. Ironically, most of these kids are soldiers. For example, in a country like Liberia, fifty percent of the entire population are composed of children below the ages of adulthood and surprisingly of those same children about 15,000 contribute to  the major crisis in that country by being part of the active militia. In the other parts of the continent, Sierra Leone has more than 10,000 children who were recruited to be soldiers to fight the persisting war of identities. These kids joined illegal forces in order to protect their own lives. They were forced either by the government or rebel forces to complement the armies.

Children of war have no will to practice their freedoms as many other children, in first world countries, for example, but instead must follow the desire of various parties whom are their own people. To join armed forces in the torn countries of Africa is a decision of do or die. Merely surviving in poor conditions, living in war zones, lost of family contribute to why many children are coerced to be soldiers.

Children were taught savagery ways of mercilessly killing people and soon lack sensitivity to have pity for the human soul. These children learn that they must doing their assigned tasks or otherwise bear severe punishments from the government or rebel groups.

Source: Twum-Danso, Afua. "Africa's Young Soldiers: The Co-option of Childhood." Chapter Two: CHILD COMBATANTS AND ADULT WARS IN AFRICA. April 2003. 21 Jul 2006 <http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/Monographs/No82/Ch2.html#Anchor-53937>.