Case Study 3: Mohammed

Mohammed is a 15-year-old from South Sudan, Africa. He was a child rebel soldier in South Sudan for 3 years, and was involved as a soldier in several missions, always carrying an AK-47. He says he felt like he had to fight because he was scared for his life. He wanted to protect his family and his village, as he saw many schools and villages get demolished.

Before becoming a rebel soldier, Mohammed had dreams of becoming a teacher. He says he’s good at math and likes working at numbers in his mind. When things got tough in the civil war, Mohammed would sometimes do math in his head, just to escape for a moment.

This is a photograph of a young African male. He is smiling.

Mohammed has two younger brothers and two younger sisters. He witnessed his father and one sister murdered during the war. Those memories he says, still haunt him when he closes his eyes.

When he handed in his weapon and uniform, Mohammed said that was when he first felt like he had hope for his life and his future. He has hopes to return home to his mother, brothers and sister, but it has not happened yet. In the interim, Mohammed is receiving some education and psychological support from UNICEF to help him overcome the trauma he has experienced.

His village needs rebuilding, but people are too afraid to return. Many people have been displaced from their homes and have retreated to the bush and live in twig huts. They survive on berries and have no access to clean water. Communities have very little access to education and health services, and face food security problems.

The United Nation’s children’s agency says that child soldiers are being released in South Sudan. Civilians still need protection and measures that make them feel safe once again. They also need dialogue between leaders that will lead to long-term solutions.

Mohammed remains hopeful that he will one day return home. He wants to finish school so that he can live out his dream. To Mohammed, the only way to make change is through education. He wants to teach the children in his village, and wants to teach them that fighting is not the answer.