Your Excellency,

Laurent Gbagbo
Président de la République
Présidence de la République
01 BP 1354 Abidjan 01
Côte d'Ivoire

Your Excellency,



I urgently ask to you to demobilize all children under the age of 18 from your armed forces, and stop all further recruitment of children including re-recruitment of demobilized children. I appeal to you on the grounds of international law, and of a common humanity that loves all children. I know that as a man of dignity and conscience, you do not want to see the most vulnerable of your people destroyed by war. I urge you to remove all officers suspected of recruiting and using child soldiers from their command. The use of child soldiers must be investigated by independent, credible officials, and perpetrators must be brought to justice according to international standards. Support must be provided to re-integrate child soldiers into civilian life.

Perhaps I should say a word about myself: I am a Professor of Ethics at an American university. As such, I am a part of a global community of philosophy teachers that is concerned with the just and compassionate treatment of children. I know that your government is trapped in a struggle against the Forces Nouvelles, but I also know that you prize your international reputation for decency and respect for human rights. To strengthen that reputation, I ask you to ratify both the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.


Yours sincerely,




Professor J. Robert Loftis IV