Child Soldiers - Sudan's Disney Stars on TikTok

 

Viral Child Soldiers on TikTok: The 'Disney Stars' of Sudan's Civil War 

Sebastian Vandermeersch and Amgad Abdelgadir 

Bellingcat 

February 20, 2026 Click here for the article

A Bellingcat investigation has found that child soldiers from both sides of Sudan's civil war — the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) — have become viral celebrities on TikTok, with videos of the young boys, known as "lion cubs," accumulating millions of views. The children appear in military uniforms alongside senior commanders and government officials, delivering speeches, celebrating battlefield victories, and making violent threats. In some footage they are visibly armed. Child soldier experts warn that the visibility and glorification of this content is actively encouraging recruitment of other young people into the conflict.

Bellingcat identified and reported 12 TikTok accounts to the platform. After more than 48 hours without action, it contacted TikTok directly; seven accounts were subsequently removed, but content featuring the children remained accessible across both TikTok and Facebook at the time of publication. The UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan reported in October 2024 that the RSF had systematically recruited and used children in hostilities, while credible reports also implicated the SAF. In January 2026, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described being "deeply alarmed" by the increasing militarization of Sudanese society, including the recruitment and use of children.

UNICEF Representative to Sudan Sheldon Yett told Bellingcat: "Regardless of if a child is portrayed in uniform or otherwise, the recruitment of anyone under 18 is a grave violation of child rights. Social media platforms have an obligation to ensure effective content moderation to prevent platforms from being used to facilitate such exploitation."

"They've become famous, almost equivalent to Disney child stars in the US, where everybody knows their name. The message becomes: look how famous he got by doing that — maybe if I join the movement, I can also be famous." — Mia Bloom, Professor of Communication and Middle East Studies, Georgia State University

"What seems to be going on is the recruitment of children by honoring children who are willing to fight. They are given names such as 'lion cubs' that honor their strength and warrior nature, while bringing them into the fold at an early age." — Michael Wessells, Professor, Columbia University