“When they came to my village, they asked my older brother whether he was ready to join the militia. He was just 17 and he said no; they shot him in the head. Then they asked me if I was ready to sign, so what could I do – I didn't want to die (BBC, 2006).”
War in the Congo is nothing new, nor is the use of child soldiers, however it seems the number of child soldiers is only increasing. Since 1998, the use of child soldiers has been extreme, with children forced to serve as militant fighters, domestic slaves, or sex slaves, during the conflict that has been ravishing the DRC. After almost a decade of fighting, and growing international concern, the situation is proving to continue in spite of outcries from the international community. Recently the situation in the Congo has only deteriorated, and thus the safety and wellbeing of thousands of children continues to remain at risk.
In 2002 a national peace agreement was made, and with it the hope that the systematic use of child soldiers would end. In late 2004 a large number of the armed militias had accepted a government plan tor integrate forces, forming a unified national army. It was under this integrated Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as the FARDC, that would ban the use of soldiers under the age of 18. During this time many of the armed militias took a number of the child soldiers to military collection centers, where they were then taken to NGO reception centers, where they where to receive aid and support, which would allow them to return to normal life. However this proved to be a failure as, while some children where turned over, a great deal where not, and it was rather quickly followed by the resurgence of the recruitment of new child soldiers. The hope that began with the return of many child soldiers only a few years ago, seems to be quickly fading to the sound of gunfire.
As new fighting has taken place in the Congo, the reemergence of child soldiers is once again becoming all too common. According to Pernille Ironside, Protection Officer for UNICEF in Goma, Congo, “Over the years, thousands and thousand of children have been returned to their families, but all those efforts are in jeopardy right now with the recent fighting. We’re at the brink of taking a major step backward in something that we were beginning to see moving in the right direction (Ranks Of Child Soldiers Rise In Congo).” Once again it appears the fight to protect the children of the Congo, has only just begun!
[kml_flashembed movie="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=7659244604438813517" width="400" height="326" wmode="transparent" /]
More on the situation in the Congo:
DRC: Displacement, insecurity worsen humanitarian crisis in east
ReliefWeb – DR Congo: OCHA North Kivu Humanitarian Situation Report – 14 Sep 2007
Human Rights Watch Reports
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers – DRC Report, 2004
UNICEF – DRC, 2005
