Beni: MONUSCO Welcomes Seven Children Who Escaped from the Hands of the ADF for their Social Reintegration

MONUSCO advocates with parties to conflicts to minimize the risk of gross violations of children's rights in armed conflict. Photos MONUSCO / Marc Maro Fimbo

15 Feb 2023

Beni: MONUSCO Welcomes Seven Children Who Escaped from the Hands of the ADF for their Social Reintegration

Jean-Tobie Okala

On 10th February, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) handed over to MONUSCO seven children who escaped from the hands of the ADF (Allied Defense Forces) rebels three weeks ago in Mwalika area (Beni territory), North Kivu. Among them are five boys from Uganda aged between 13 and 16. The two girls are both 7 years old, one is Ugandan and the other Congolese.

The army claims to have found them following clashes with the ADF in Mwalika. The children had been detained for three weeks at the FARDC intelligence office in Beni.

MONUSCO through its Child Protection section had advocated with the Congolese army to hand these children over to the Mission. The pleas met with a positive response from the regular armed forces of the DRC which reiterated their confidence in MONUSCO during the official handover ceremony on Friday February 10, 2023. "We are counting on MONUSCO to assist them", said the 'army.

Captain Anthony Mualushayi, spokesman for Sokola 1 operations, welcomed the surrender: “Our Operations helped these young people to reach out to the army. We have NGOs working in the protection of the under-aged. These children finally decided to leave the terrorist movements and surrender to our armed forces”.

Return to civilian life: a long journey

According to the usual procedures, after receiving such children, MONUSCO should hand them over to its partners for their psycho-social care and socio-economic reintegration. This stage consists, among other things, in psychological interviews, medical care for those who are ill, engagement with the communities with a view to their acceptance by both the family and the communities, family tracing or family reunification. After all this procedure, some children of a certain age will then be able to follow training courses and learn a trade.

MONUSCO has already managed to insert several persons who left their groups. They are now seamstresses, hairdressers and farmers, rabbit breeders in Beni-ville, mechanics, gardeners...

MONUSCO's Child Protection Section has a mandate to monitor, report and respond to the six gross violations of children's rights during armed conflict, namely abduction, recruitment and use of children, killings and mutilations, rape and sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals and denial of access to humanitarian assistance. In addition, it advocates with the parties in conflict (security forces and armed groups) to minimize the risks of gross violations of children's rights in armed conflicts. One of the aspects of the mandate of MONUSCO Child Protection section is to engage with armed groups, so that they can stop recruiting the underaged into their ranks.

Pulled out of armed groups with support from MONUSCO

Thus, since 2018, MONUSCO Child Protection section has committed to discussing with several groups active in eastern DRC. In North Kivu, MONUSCO was able to sign the Unilateral Declaration for the fight against child recruitment and the roadmap on the prevention of child recruitment and other serious violations, with three Mai-Mai dissident groups. In February and July 2019, a new Unilateral Declaration for the fight against child recruitment and a roadmap on the prevention of child recruitment and other serious violations were signed by three Mai-Mai groups: Mazembe UPDI du feu led by “General” Busho Kitete, Mazembe FPP-AP led by “General” Kasereka Kasyano Kabidon and Mazembe UPLC led by “General” Kambale Mayani). Since then and with the help of MONUSCO’s advocacy, hundreds of children have left the ranks of armed groups in the Beni-Butembo-Lubero region in North Kivu.