Innocence lost in the forest of the child soldiers: Each leader of the armed group had his girls'

"One morning in 2021, while on her way to sell cassava at one of the artisanal mining sites in the area, she was detained by Anti-Balaka militiamen. They beat the man who was giving her a ride on a motorcycle, tied him up, and abandoned him in a ditch. They dragged her into the forest. There they raped me. It was the first time I had ever been with a man. There were five of them, and they abused me, she says firmly."

"Thousands of children like Nadine have been taken from their communities in recent years by the numerous armed groups vying for control of territory in the Central African Republic (CAR). Forced into the forest, they were compelled to serve as fighters, messengers, or slaves. In their villages, funerals were held without bodies. Their deaths were mourned. It was thought they would never return."

Nadine was abducted at 15 by Anti-Balaka militiamen while traveling to sell cassava at an artisanal mining site. She was beaten, raped by multiple attackers, and gave birth to a child conceived within the armed group. Her father feared she was lost forever. Thousands of children across the Central African Republic have been seized by armed groups, forced into the forest, and compelled to serve as fighters, messengers, or slaves, with communities often holding funerals without bodies. Recruitment continues despite localized stability in the center and northwest, while southeastern and northeastern border regions remain volatile as the Sudan conflict intensifies. Children are repeatedly abducted and re-recruited.

Read at english.elpais.com