One hundred and twenty-two children, including thirty-six girls, were separated from armed groups operating in the Walikale territory between 14 and 18 May 2026 and subsequently taken into the care of child protection partners working in Walikale. To date, one hundred and ten of them have already been reunited with their families, while efforts continue to help the remaining twelve return to their family environments with the support of UNICEF partners.
These achievements are the result of joint efforts by the Child Protection Section of MONUSCO, the Bureau for Volunteer Services for Children and Health (BVES), the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme (P-DDRCS), provincial and territorial authorities, and other child protection partners involved in implementing the UN-Government Action Plan aimed at ending the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Awareness-raising, advocacy, and engagement activities conducted with armed groups led to the signing, before provincial authorities, of commitments and roadmaps by three armed groups (UHURU, Raïya Mutomboki, and Raïya Kujigomboa) to end the recruitment and use of children within their ranks.
Prior to this operation, a coordination workshop on the separation of children from armed groups was held in Beni on 12 May. The meeting brought together territorial authorities from Beni, Lubero, and Walikale, as well as the mayors of Beni and Butembo, under the leadership of the Military Governor of North Kivu.
At the conclusion of the workshop, the governor called for increased mobilization of all stakeholders to reduce the recruitment and use of children by armed groups operating in the province.
In addition, during two humanitarian missions jointly organized in Walikale by MONUSCO’s Child Protection Section, BVES, and the P-DDRCS, representatives of armed groups and civil society organizations received training on issues related to the protection of children affected by armed conflict.
All participants emphasized the need to continue prevention efforts, strengthen protection mechanisms, and provide sustainable support for the reintegration of children who have left armed groups.
MONUSCO’s Child Protection Section and its partners reaffirm their commitment to continuing protection, monitoring, and advocacy efforts aimed at ending grave violations of children's rights and facilitating the release of other children still associated with armed groups.
In a context marked by the persistence of armed conflicts in North Kivu, these efforts are fully aligned with MONUSCO’s mandate to protect children affected by armed conflict.
Aline Kataliko
