UN: 1,364 children recruited by terrorists in West Africa, 14,000 schools closed

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The United Nations has raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian toll of terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, reporting that 1,364 children were recruited by armed groups in 2024 and more than 14,000 schools were forced to close due to insecurity.

UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Simão, disclosed this at a regional conference on combating emerging terrorist groups and strengthening security in the ECOWAS region, held Wednesday in Abuja.

He warned that extremist groups are exploiting ungoverned spaces, local grievances, and advanced technologies—including drones and encrypted communications—to expand their reach and intensify attacks. According to Simão, the human cost is devastating: child recruitment, widespread sexual violence, and fractured communities, alongside the closure of schools across six countries.

Simão also revealed that five of the world’s ten most terrorism-affected countries are in West Africa and the Sahel, with fatalities on the rise. Violence is spreading into fragile border areas such as Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Mauritania, as well as protected reserves in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger, threatening livelihoods, eco-tourism, and biodiversity.

He further noted that political tensions between neighbouring states and the impacts of climate change—such as resource conflicts and forced displacement—are fueling extremist recruitment. Meanwhile, defence budgets continue to rise, with the Central Sahel projected to spend $3.2 billion in 2025, diverting resources from education, healthcare, and climate adaptation.

Calling for a holistic approach, Simão urged a balance between military action and investments in dialogue, governance, youth empowerment, and sustainable development, alongside efforts to combat organised crime that finances terrorism.

Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru, echoed the call for stronger regional cooperation, warning that fragmented national responses are inadequate against a transnational and adaptive threat. He emphasized the need for integrated intelligence-sharing, joint operations under unified command, and the deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force, while stressing that security efforts must also uphold human rights and civil liberties.

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