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World & Nation

Photos: Child soldiers in the Central African Republic

Charly, 16, says he regrets no longer being a child soldier in the Central African Republic. "With a gun," he says, "you always have money."

Charly, 16, says he regrets no longer being a child soldier in the Central African Republic. “With a gun,” he says, “you always have money.”  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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The conflict tearing the Central African Republic apart has brought childhood to a halt. Children have seen their parents hacked to pieces, watched as boys and girls like them were shot or maimed. Some have been forced to make cold calculations far beyond their years.

Child soldiers

A former child soldier takes part in a skit about his once-violent life during a visit with aid workers.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Child soldiers

A group of former child soldiers wait to learn about a United Nations-funded program to teach them new ways to make a living, such as farming, woodworking and masonry.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Child soldiers

Children have been pawns in virtually every conflict in the Central African Republic, a country plagued for decades by coups, mutinies and rebellions.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Child soldiers

Former child soldiers listen during a meeting with UNICEF officials in the Central African Republic.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Child soldiers

Mireille was just 14 when she was abducted by a commander in the Seleka rebel coalition. He raped her for several months and then abandoned her.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Child soldiers

Jordy, 14, joined the rebels for survival and revenge. At least 6,000 children and probably many more are believed to have been recruited or abducted in the Central African Republic conflict.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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