New report released by MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in Dem. Of Congo, details the conditions of child soldiers currently held captive by three armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. MONUSCO is calling upon international donors, the government and agencies concerned for the welfare of children to help stop recruitment and provide appropriate recovery.
Martin Kobler, the head of the UN mission, called the issue “an atrocity” and is demanding the armed groups to release the children. The MONUSCO report verified that between January 1, 2012 and August 31, 2013, almost 1,000 cases of child recruitment were reported primarily from the North Kivu region. 450 children currently accounted for were held by the Hutu Militia Nyatura (190 children), the Rwandan Hutu Rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (136), and the Tutsi Movement of March 23 (124).
According to the MONUSCO statement, “children who were victim of recruitment within the ranks of these armed groups were also victims and witnesses of other grave child rights violations, such as rape, abduction, killing and maiming.” The children recruited are reportedly used as porters, cooks, spies, sex slaves, guards and combatants.
“Minors formerly associated with M23 [Tutsi Movement of March 23] described how they were tasked to bury bodies of adults and children who lost their lives during clashes with the FARDC [national army] and other armed groups,” explained the report.
Kobler is vehemently fighting against the current conditions and said “this situation is unacceptable and has been going on for much too long with impunity. Recruiting children into armed groups is a crime, and destroys the lives of the victims who are forced to do things that no child should be involved in. We need to stop this now. One case of child recruitment is one case too many.”
Creative Commons Love: United Nations Photo on Flickr.com
Written by Rachel Pozivenec