The recruitment and military training of children in the Tindouf camps were the main concerns raised during Item 2 of the general debate of the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council, where the Unity Network for Development of Mauritania and OCAPROCE International for Human Rights in Africa also addressed the broader situation of children in conflict-affected areas across Africa.
Children’s Recruitment in the Tindouf Camps
The Unity Network for Development of Mauritania denounced what it described as a “grave and systematic” violation of children’s rights across Africa, highlighting the recruitment of minors in the Sahel and Sahara region.
The organization raised specific concerns over the recruitment of children in the Tindouf camps, stating that some minors, including children as young as 12, are separated from their families and subjected to military training.
The NGO estimated that more than 8,000 children were recruited between 1980 and 2022, and claimed that those who refuse recruitment face severe punishment.
The organization also referred to the broader situation in the Sahel, where, according to United Nations figures cited in its intervention, armed groups recruit children as young as 10 to take part in combat operations.
Concerns Over “Vacaciones en Paz” Programme
OCAPROCE also called for particular vigilance regarding the “Vacaciones en Paz” programme, which annually facilitates the travel of Sahrawi children abroad, mainly to Spain.
The organization stressed the need to ensure that such transfers do not lead to any form of exploitation or political instrumentalization, or undermine the children’s identity and cultural rights.
Calls for UN Monitoring
Both NGOs called on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant mechanisms to strengthen monitoring of the recruitment, transfer and exploitation of children.
The Unity Network for Development of Mauritania also called on the Council to condemn these practices, support independent investigations and ensure the reintegration of the children concerned.
OCAPROCE concluded: “No political or military cause can justify turning a child into an instrument.”
