Recruitment of Child Soldiers in Darfur

Gaps in Accountability in the Case of Al-Bashir under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyze the recruitment of child soldiers by Sudan during the armed conflict that took place in Darfur in the early 2000s. It also examines the international sources of child protection, as well as the domestic mechanisms available to the State for this purpose. Finally, the study addresses the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to adjudicate alleged violations of the Rome Statute, which classifies the recruitment and use of children under the age of fifteen in hostilities as a war crime. The paper concludes that, although war crimes were imputed to Omar Al-Bashir, then President of Sudan, the absence of specific reference to child recruitment demonstrates that the issue still lacks due attention within the international community.