The Impact of Armed Con¯ict on Children A ccording to UNICEF (1996), there have been 149 major wars between 1945 and 1992, killing more than 24 million persons. In 1995 alone, some 30 armed con¯icts were experienced in dierent parts of the world. This paper endeavours to present the horrors children experience and the diculties they face in situations of contemporary armed con¯ict. It highlights the plight of children in con¯ict areas in Africa and the impact these man-created horrors are having on children in the continent.
In some countries peace has become a rare commodity, with children exposed to extreme violence, giving them no option for normal growth and development. There are examples where the con¯icts have existed for many years, with some countries experiencing and sustaining con¯icts for up to 30 years. Countries with long histories of armed con¯ict include Angola, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Sudan (UNICEF, 1996). This means that an entire generation has grown up in the midst of war. Such people have known no peace at all.
While wars have never been friendly to civilians, recent wars have targeted the civilian population and the proportion of civilian victims has been steadily increasing. They now constitute up to 90% of the casualties (UNICEF, 1996). Children are over-represented among the civilian victims. Millions of children get killed, maimed, displaced, and become homeless. Many become parentless (orphaned) and millions are emotionally traumatized. The health and nutrition of the children are also greatly aected. The destruction of war is extended to the public facilities which children need to survive, grow and develop, such as hospitals, dispensaries, schools, shelter, crops and animals. The destruction follows the children into the camps where they take refuge. Today's media is full of such examples.
In recent times, children have not only suered the horrors of con¯icts but some are themselves combatants.