Introduction

This chapter introduces the history of the recruitment of child soldiers during the 1983–2005 civil war by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the guerrilla force that led southern resistance to northern Sudanese rule. While the book provides a historical account, the chapter notes that documentation of the methods used to forcibly recruit underaged soldiers is important to understanding the continued recruitment of underaged soldiers within South Sudan in the post-war period, and post-independence, granted in 2011. Few of the former youth combatants speak openly of their experiences, in large part because of the fear of retribution from other members of the SPLA who seek to suppress any reference to forced recruitment. Many of the commanders who recruited and trained the youth soldiers in the mid-1980s are still part of the SPLA. Importantly, individuals who led the first Red Army units are today among the most senior members of the government and security forces. Research methodology and challenges are described and a summary of the book’s chapters is provided.