M23 denounces the DR Congo army’s recruiting of children

The AFC/M23 rebel movement has denounced the enlistment of minors in the DR Congo’s and its affiliated armed groups’ armed forces and accused foreign organizations of failing to recognize the seriousness of the situation.

The movement “notes with regret and condemns in the strongest terms the recruitment of children by the coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime,” stated AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka in an X post on Sunday, August 10.

A video of children allegedly discovered among combatants who turned themselves in to the rebel group on July 28 during fighting in Nyamugali, in the Kalehe highlands, was included in the post.

The group claims that numerous juveniles were among those who laid down their weapons following the Nyatura militia fighters’ surrender.

“Despite the existence of human rights organizations in general and those advocating for children’s rights in particular, this practice continues with complete impunity,” the Kanyuka said.

He stated, “We regret to note that despite the seriousness of the facts, the United Nations Joint Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) has not handed down any convictions.”

The rebel movement recently denied accusations from two UN human rights agencies that it killed hundreds of civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, claiming the findings were “unverified and politically motivated.”

Kanyuka went on to say that rather than addressing the problem of child soldiers who were purportedly recruited by the government coalition, the UN agency aimed “unfounded accusations” onto the AFC/M23.

“The UNJHRO’s political exploitation and impartiality are called into question by its silence in the face of these crimes,” he stated.