Children ‘voluntarily join’ armed groups in DR Congo

KINSHASA: The majority of children who join armed groups in Democratic Republic of Congo increasingly do so ‘voluntarily’ because of a lack of alternatives, international charity War Child said.

There has been a steady drop in the number of child soldiers forcefully recruited by guerilla groups since the 2012 departure of notorious rebel leader Joseph Kony, the organisation said in a study presented in Kinshasa.

“The recruitment of children, even if not forced, nonetheless appears to arise less out of a desire (to join) than a choice made within a limited set of socio-economic options,” said War Child, which supports and protects children around the world affected by conflict.

The ‘voluntary’ adherence to armed rebellion is ‘a last resort’ for children, particularly in the North and South Kivu provinces where dozens of militia groups are fighting for control.

Poverty, unemployment, hunger, and violence are some of the main issues driving children to join militia groups in those regions, the study said.

War Child noted that DR Congo’s military had ‘improved’ its fight against rebel groups in recent years.

Last year, the UN removed the country’s army from its annual blacklist of national militaries recruiting child soldiers.

But it also warned that the number of child soldiers recruited “by armed groups and militia is on the rise again” due to a recent flare up in regional conflicts, filling the void left by Kony. — AFP