According to the U.S. State Department, between 2010 and 2012 various parties to the civil war (including the Central African Army, government-supported anti-balaka self-defense militias, and Seleka rebels) recruited and used child soldiers. In 2012, there were reports that the Central African Army used children to staff checkpoints and identify rebel hideouts. The Central African Army also reportedly provided in-kind support — including machetes — to anti-balaka village self-defense units which were known to recruit and use child soldiers. UNICEF estimated at the time that children comprised one-third of these self-defense groups.²Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2014 (Country Narratives: A-C (PDF)), pp. 127-128, https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/226845.pdf (https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2014/index.htm).

In March 2013, the Seleka coalition took control of the government. Armed groups aligned with the coalition were known to recruit and use child soldiers — including the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), and the Democratic Front of the Central African Republic (FDPC).³Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2014 (Country Narratives: A-C (PDF)), pp. 127, https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/226845.pdf (https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2014/index.htm). According to UN estimates, Seleka-aligned armed groups and anti-balaka units recruited as many as 10,000 child soldiers by 2014.⁴Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2015, pp. 116, https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/243558.pdf (https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2015/). The Central African Republic was removed from the CSPA list in 2015 following the dissolution of the Seleka government, after which point the U.S. State Department did not report any allegations of child soldier use or recruitment by its successor government or by any government-backed groups for several years.

CAR’s reappearance on the CSPA list in 2022 followed reports that members of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) violated command directives in 2021 by forcibly recruiting at least one child and using seven children in support roles to serve at checkpoints, run errands, and gather information.⁵Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic – Prosecution,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2022, pp. 165, https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221020-2022-TIP-Report.pdf (https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/). In addition, FACA collaborated with and provided material support to the Russian-backed Wagner Group, which forcibly recruited and used children as laborers and to gather intelligence in CAR during the reporting period for the 2022 CSPA list.⁶Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic – Prosecution,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2022, pp. 165, https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221020-2022-TIP-Report.pdf (https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/). CAR has remained on the CSPA list from 2023 to 2025 due to continued support for the Wagner Group and FACA’s continued recruitment and use of child soldiers (including children younger than 15), some of whom were used in direct hostilities.⁷Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2023, https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/.; Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2024, https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/.; Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2025, https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/.

In the first two years that the Central African Republic was on the CSPA list, it demobilized more than 2,500 child soldiers and began drafting a national action plan against trafficking, but did not report efforts to actually establish policies against child soldiering or to raise awareness about existing national laws against the use of children in armed forces. The government also did not directly provide reintegration programs for child soldiers, which left children susceptible to re-recruitment.⁸Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2015, pp. 117, https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/243558.pdf (https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2015/). Between April 2021 and March 2022, CAR demobilized 78 children used by armed groups, assisted UN peacekeepers in screening 134 children used by armed groups to facilitate their enrollment in demobilization programs, and worked with an international organization to provide former child soldiers shelter, psycho-social services, and reintegration assistance.⁹Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2022, pp. 165-166, https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221020-2022-TIP-Report.pdf (https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/). As of April 2022, the government has disseminated a command directive barring children from entry on military installations (though has not reported efforts to consistently enforce these measures).¹⁰Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2025, https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/. In September 2024 the government and an international organization signed a handover protocol for the transfer of children allegedly associated with armed groups to protection actors for services; while authorities began implementing the protocol, officials have not yet reported the number of children transferred to protection actors.¹¹Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2025, https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/. The government has continued to provide reintegration support for former child soldiers through March 2025, working with an international organization to reintegrate children associated with armed groups and placed children in community shelters, in foster homes, or with relatives.¹²Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Central African Republic,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2025, https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/central-african-republic/.

Since 2021, U.S. presidents have been required to include justifications for CSPA waivers that were issued during the previous year in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. CAR’s stated that “[a]rmed groups in CAR continue to threaten civilians and pose a longstanding risk to stability. The waiver for PKO and IMET assistance for CAR will support the professionalization of the military to better provide security to the people of CAR while respecting human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL). Additionally, IMET programming allows the United States to invest in CAR military officers to promote professional military education and foster relationships with foreign military personnel rooted in democratic values.”¹³Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Annual Report to Congress on the Use of Child Soldiers under Section 405(c) of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2024, https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/. CAR’s 2024 waiver justification noted the efforts undertaken by the government with U.S. and UN officials to address the problem of child soldiers, and maintained that the “waiver for IMET programming allows the United States to invest in CAR military personnel by funding professional military education. IMET also fosters relationships between current and future leaders within the CAR military and the United States military.”¹⁴Government of the United States, U.S. Department of State. “Annual Report to Congress on the Use of Child Soldiers under Section 405(c) of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008,” in Trafficking in Persons Report 2025, https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/.

For more information, see the U.S. State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report and 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Further information on the situation in CAR can also be found in the UN Secretary-General’s 2025 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict and country-specific reports on CAR.