INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE VULNERABLE GROUPS IN THE SUDAN CONFLICT

Abstract

The rate at which children are involved in armed conflicts has become very alarming. The most common role played by children, among other forms of participation, in armed conflict is the recruitment of underage children as soldiers. However, the international community has come to address this issue and the result has been the establishment and enforcement of various international humanitarian conventions. The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child forms the basis of the protection of the child while, the 2000 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child strengthens the protection of children and emphasizes the age at which a person can be recruited into the army. This work reveals and examines the plight of children in armed conflict in Africa (with special focus on the children in Sudan) and gives recommendations on how, both the national and international communities can protect them.