A boy holding a football

He Was Fifteen and They Offered Him a Gun

Children should never be a strategy of war.

“You’ll have a gun, and people will respect you” - is what a military recruiter told Muhindo, aged 15, who lives with his grandmother in a small village in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Stories like Muhindo's are increasingly common. Despite decades of promises to protect children from war, the world is failing them. At the end of 2024, the United Nations confirmed a deeply disturbing reality, the recruitment of children by armed forces and armed groups is rising, and fast.  

In countries like Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan, places where War Child and its local partners work, children are once again being targeted and recruited.  

While some children are given no choice to join an armed group - threatened with their own or their families' deaths - recruiters also know to target those who appear vulnerable, as they are easier to control, desperate for protection and trapped by poverty. Others can be convinced that it's the only route to survival as a conflict rages around them. 

Once recruited, promises around welfare - if given – all too soon fall away as children are exposed to unimaginable harm, including forced labour, exposure to violence, coercion into killing, sexual abuse and forced marriage. 

The scale of this crisis is laid bare in the UN’s annual Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Report. Child recruitment has surged from 4,835 known cases in 2020 to 8,242 in 2024, nearly doubling in just four years, just shy of the previous high in 2018. And these numbers only reflect the cases that UN investigations could verify; the true number is expected to be much higher – potentially tens-of-thousands higher around the globe. 

In the eastern DRC, the situation is desperate.  

In just the first two months of 2025, over 400 children were recruited from schools and communities, with grave violations against children overall in the region tripling at the start of the year. 

For Muhindo in Buguri, the sounds of gunfire were already a part of daily life. His parents had left the area years earlier and with schools closed, he felt restless, angry, sad and uncertain about what the future held. 

As the conflict deepened, armed groups promised boy likes him food, security, and identity, luring some of his friends with the illusion of power and respect. Despite his hunger and the recruiters’ tempting words he hesitated, his grandmother pleading with him to stay. 

One day, as Muhindo lingered near a group of boys talking about following the fighters, a War Child staff member approached him. Knowing his situation, she invited him to join the organisation’s TeamUp sessions designed to help children express emotions through movement, play, and connection. At first, Muhindo refused, however, curiosity and loneliness led him to join. 

A boy holding a football.
Photo taken by the War Child Alliance

In the sessions, Muhindo released his anger and sadness through games, breathing exercises and group reflection. His grandmother noticed positive changes: he began to smile, helped with chores, and talked about returning to school if the situation allowed. 

Over time Muhindo started setting personal goals and saying no when faced with pressure from recruiters. TeamUp helped him find hope again, replacing fear with self-confidence and assertiveness.  

Children and War Child staff playing with a parachute
Photo taken by the War Child Alliance

In Colombia, a peace deal signed in 2016 promised an end to decades of civil war, yet in regions like Cauca, peace barely took hold.  

Over the past four years, more than 850 children have been taken by armed groups, many still missing. 

In the face of this rising threat, prevention efforts are more vital than ever. 

War Child’s Mae Kiwe project, which ran from 2023-2025, helped to reduce the risks of children and young people being recruited into armed groups across three territories in Colombia by strengthening cultural identity, expanding economic opportunities and empowering youth leadership.  

Working alongside the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) in Cauca, the project supported Afro-descendant and Indigenous young people through political, artistic and cultural workshops, community exchanges and entrepreneurship training.  

By nurturing young leaders, creating safer spaces, and strengthening community-based protection, Mae Kiwe helped connect youth groups with local leaders and amplified their voices in shaping peace and protecting their futures. 

Staff member wearing a colourful hat
Photo taken by War Child Alliance

Willington, was the youth coordinator in Caloto. “At first, I was drawn to the artistic side - dance, music, weaving,” he explains. “Then I joined the political training schools. I learned how to guide young people, lead processes, and respond to the problems affecting our territory.” 

The Mae Kiwe project helped young people to step up into leadership, strengthening dialogue and choosing peace. “Without culture, there is no peace,” Willington reflects. “And peace allows young people to feel safe enough to shape their own future.” 

The rise in the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups is not inevitable, it is a failure of protection and political will. Children should never be a strategy of war.  

Governments, donors and the international community must act now to strengthen child protection systems, invest in prevention and reintegration programmes and hold armed actors accountable for these crimes. Supporting community-led initiatives like TeamUp and Mae Kiwe is not optional, it is essential if we are to protect children.