Abstract

Conflicts are unavoidable as indicated by the Realists Theory of Conflict; it suggests that as humans continue to exist and cohabitate, conflicts remain unavoidable, as stated by Hans Morgenthau, who claimed that humans will engage in combat even with their bare hands.

The nature of conflicts has evolved from international disputes involving states to primarily intra-state conflicts. It has been noted that armed disputes generally have substantial adverse effects on non-combatants, and are particularly deadly to children, especially those under the age of 18, as they face a higher risk of death during armed engagements.

Armed conflicts take away children’s essential human rights, such as the right to life, family, community, and education. Armed conflicts impact all aspects of children’s lives, leaving lasting emotional trauma in their minds. Armed conflicts hinder children as they are either barred from attending school due to violent confrontations or because educational institutions have been torched, or they may have lost their parents, leaving these children isolated and unaccompanied, which further elevates their vulnerability during periods of armed strife.

This thesis was conducted to examine the effects of the Anglophone armed separatists conflict on children in Kumba. The research was further segmented into three main investigative questions regarding how the lives of children have been impacted by the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

The research made use of the mixed method, sampling both quantitative and qualitative data having children, and parents as respondents. Some 412 semi-structured questionnaires constituting either a yes or no to be answered by children and interviews were administered to parents. All three hypotheses were tested and accepted on the fact that the Anglophone armed separatists conflict has greatly and negatively affected children in Kumba.

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