Myanmar’s military regime has admitted to releasing 93 minors from its armed forces, following international condemnation over the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The acknowledgment, published Friday in the junta-controlled Global New Light of Myanmar, comes in response to a scathing United Nations report that accused both the military and allied groups of forcibly enlisting hundreds of children, many of whom were allegedly deployed in combat.
The military stated it conducted a verification process in 2024 that led to the discharge of the underage recruits and that financial support had been provided to those released. A government committee overseeing the review said that 18 additional cases are still under investigation to confirm whether the individuals were minors.
The move follows the UN Secretary-General’s annual Children and Armed Conflict report, which documented the recruitment of 482 children—467 boys and 15 girls—by Myanmar’s military and its affiliates in the past year. The report revealed that more than 370 of these minors had been used in combat roles. Although some child recruitment was also reported among anti-junta forces, the scale was considerably smaller.
Since the February 2021 military coup that toppled the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has plunged into a nationwide armed conflict. Resistance to the junta has grown into a formidable insurgency, with ethnic armed groups and newly formed militias gaining control of key territories, particularly in the country’s border regions. The military, now increasingly confined to the central heartland, has struggled to hold ground.
In a desperate bid to bolster its ranks, the junta in 2024 revived a long-dormant conscription law, drafting thousands of young people into mandatory military service. Human rights groups warn that the practice has led to widespread fear and displacement among civilians, especially among families with teenage children.
The UN report highlighted western Rakhine State as a major hotspot for child soldier recruitment, estimating that approximately 300 minors had been enlisted there by the military and its allied forces. Rakhine is home to the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, who have long been targeted by Myanmar’s military operations.
UNICEF estimates that more than 3.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict since the coup, with children comprising over one-third of those uprooted.
While the junta’s latest admission may be seen as a gesture toward compliance with international norms, rights advocates remain skeptical. The discharge of 93 minors represents only a fraction of the documented child recruits, and systemic abuses are believed to persist as the conflict shows no sign of resolution.
