For many years, the focus on rights violation in uganda has been on the lords resistance army as a terroriser of children to fight as child soldiers. In 2011, the updf received 83 lra children and sent them to the appropriate rehabilitation centers. Child soldiers of uganda and the lords resistance army. Child soldiers in africa refers to the military use of children under the age of 18 by national armed forces or other armed groups in africa. Thus began her nightmarish existence as one of northern ugandas thousands of child soldiers. In child soldiers in africa, alcinda honwana draws on her firsthand experience with children of angola and mozambique, as well as her study of the phenomenon for the united nations and the social science research council, to shed light on how children are recruited, what they encounter, and how they come to terms with what they have done.
In northern uganda, thousands of children have been kidnapped by rebel armies and pressed into murderous service. Child soldier is the author china keltetsis initial attempts to come to terms with her horrific experiences as a child soldier in uganda. In first kill your family, veteran journalist peter eichstaedt goes into the wartorn villages and refugee camps, talking to former child soldiers, child. Child soldiers of uganda and the lords resistance army author. A memoir of innocence lost and humanity regained in northern uganda. Typically, this classification includes children serving in noncombatant roles such as cooks or messengers, as well as those serving in combatant roles. A former ugandan lords resistance army child soldier named. A child soldier s story, by emmanuel jal with megan lloyd davies.
Tales from ugandas female former child soldiers uganda al. List of books and articles about child soldiers online research. He later escaped the conflict to a displaced persons camp in northern uganda, and in 2004 made it to canada as a refugee with his mother and younger sister. In uganda, former child soldiers struggle to overcome horrors of war. In an extract from her book a moonless, starless sky, alexis okeowo tells the story of a child soldier and a kidnapped schoolgirl in uganda and, below, talks about changing perceptions of africa. Joseph kony child soldier returns to terrorised boyhood. Does a great job explaining many of the things that confuse me about africa, tribalism, problems caused by postcolonial borders that dont take the precolonial factors into account, the seeming abandonment of kidnaped child soldiers and brides even after they return home, and lots more. Some point out that idi amin and bassilio okello are products of youthful recruitment leading to eventual abuse of power. Children at war is the first comprehensive book to examine the growing and global use of children as soldiers. Song for the sun in us is a collection of poetry by okello oculi, covering themes such as africas ideological heritage and the dialogue between political theory and literary enterprise. In one of 2016s best books, a former lords resistance army child. Richard opio has neither the look of a coldblooded killer nor the heart of one. In uganda, former child soldiers struggle to overcome.
Anita kiamba may 2014 a research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of masters in international studies at the institute of diplomacy and international studies idis, university of nairobi. The book has very little to do with child soldiers, which makes up less than five percent of the content. While children become involved with armed groups in a variety of ways, child soldier expert michael wessells told vision that no choice is a free choice because it is typically grounded in dire circumstances, including poverty, starvation, separation from their families, physical or sexual abuse, or lack of livelihood or education. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Told through the voices of those who have suffered, this illuminating expose examines how a forgotten region of one of africas most promising nations uganda, dubbed the pearl of africa by winston churchillhas been systematically destroyed by a bloody, senseless, and seemingly endless war that has gone largely unnoticed by the rest of the world. These boys and girls, some as young as 8 years old, serve in government forces and armed opposition groups. The newspaper claims the rebel attack that opens beahs book, which caused the deaths of his parents and two brothers and led to him becoming a child soldier, happened in 1995, two years after he. Between 2008 and 2009, unicef helped to reintegrate more than 24,000 former child soldiers. Dominic ongwen, a commander of the lords resistance army in uganda, is the first child soldier to face trial at the international criminal court. The precedent set in uganda for incorporating children into the nra in the first instance can be understood, but the continued presence and use of child soldiers raises issues which frighten many. According to figures from the united nations, there are 250,000 child soldiers fighting in countries including zimbabwe, uganda and the democratic republic of.
Second, uganda should continue efforts to raise awareness and training for dealing with child soldiers that are found by the updf. More than 30,000 children have been kidnapped in uganda. List of books and articles about child soldiers online. Singer, an internationally recognized expert in twentyfirstcentury warfare, explores how a new strategy of war, utilized by armies and warlords alike, has targeted children, seeking to turn them into soldiers and terrorists. Books about child soldiers what should i read next. First edition hardback, the ebook edition and your name in the back of the book. In many african nations, children who are fighting as soldiers were kidnapped from their families when they were young and forced into rebellion groups. Memoirs of a boy soldier by ishmael beah, war brothers. The book by renowned american journalist and author peter eichstaedt centres majorly on children who became fighters against their will. Agnes acayo in uganda explains how a the bullet came to be embedded in her right hand. It handles about the child soldiers in uganda and the bravery of an italian nun who risked her life to get them out of the hand of the rebellions in the north.
Here, akallo, who was herself kidnapped by the lord s resistance army at age 15, offers a disturbing, deeply personal account of being forced to march with the rebel army, fight, and raid villages for food and water. Science fiction comic books, strips, etc comic books, strips, etc. A second research paper by miryam denov, which surveyed 80 child soldiers of sierra leones revolutionary united front, found that one girl had been promoted to the rank of commander. Child soldiers in africa by alcinda honwana books on. Its narrated by a young ugandan student, pseudonym george, who. China keitetsi, whose book child soldier relates her. Understanding ugandan literature through six classic titles. In his book a long way gone, ishmael describes the innocence of his youth, the slaughtering of the innocent and his simple will to survive and come back for the. At the age of twelve, he was abducted by joseph konys lords resistance army, a rebel army that mixed religious mysticism with extreme brutality to extreme effect. A child soldier or a child associated with an armed force group, according to the paris principles in 2007, is any person, 18 years of age or younger, who is or has been recruited or used by an armed group in any capacity united nations international children s emergency fund unicef, 2007. Around 20,000 were kidnapped from northern uganda as soldiers or sex slaves, and 1. In an extract from her book a moonless, starless sky, alexis okeowo tells the story of a child soldier and a kidnapped schoolgirl in uganda and, below, talks about changing perceptions of.
There is a notion that comic books are a realm only for fictional characters with superhuman powers, bedecked with cape and colourful costume. When you kill for the first time, you change the children forced to fight for ugandan warlord joseph konys lords resistance army have. An ethnic acholi, he served as an altar boy during his youth and was fond of dancing. According to eyewitnesses, children in uganda who failed to perform a family initiation would be. Tales from ugandas female former child soldiers uganda. When grace akallo was fifteen years old, rebels from the lords resistance army raided her school. Child soldiers of uganda and the lords resistance army is one of the many different books by the same author. In 2008, it was estimated that 40 percent of child soldiers worldwide were in africa, and that. Northern uganda has been under siege by the rebel group the lords resistance army, or lra, for 20 years, leading to death tolls rivaling those in darfur, sudan, which has garnered considerably more media attention. Child soldier takes the misery shocklit genre to a level that our homegrown crapchildhood writers could only have nightmares about. The consequences for all child soldiers are terrible. Memoirs of a child soldier from northern uganda tells the harrowing, moving and inspiring life of norman okello, a young man who grew up in northern uganda under the shadow of war. According to figures from the united nations, there are 250,000 child soldiers fighting in countries including zimbabwe, uganda and the democratic republic of congo.
Thousands of children are serving as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. This book is written by a great brave lady i happened to meet on one of her book presentations. For the most part it describes uganda, from about the time of the presidency of yuveri museveni to mid2008. But the practice of kidnapping children to fight for rebel armies began in uganda with the current president, yoweri museveni, and was a tactic that helped him come to power in 1986. Eichstaedt, peter april, 2009 only 1 left in stock order soon. Kisses from katie by katie davis, nightmare along the river nile. Richard opio has neither the look of a coldblooded killer. Joseph kony biography, facts, use of child soldiers. Where weve come and where we need to go currently, at least 56 groups in 15 conflicts recruit and use child soldiers, and some of these groups increasingly employ tactics of extreme violence in their recruitment strategies, as well as their methods and means of warfare. There is a notion that comic books are a realm only for fictional characters with superhuman. A 2005 study notes that in northern uganda s lords resistance army, girls served as captains, lieutenants, and corporals.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read first kill your family. Child soldiers of uganda and the lords resistance army, by peter eichstaedt. First kill your family is the only book published in american to reveal the full story behind the rise of joseph kony and his lords resistance army. Yet as his mother and father lay on the ground with their hands tied, richard used the blunt end of an ax to crush their skulls. Memoirs from child refugees and soldiers in sudan, sierra leone, and uganda. Chikwanine spent weeks as a child soldier with the group before he managed to escape and find his way back home through the help of townspeople who knew his family.