17 Child Soldiers Released By Armed Groups in North Kivu, Eastern DRC

Armed groups operating in the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have released between 8 and 9 August, 17 child soldiers and sent them to a contingent of the UN Mission in DRC (MUNOC) in Masisi in North Kivu, in eastern DRC.

The announcement was made Wednesday in the Congolese capital, by Michel Bonnardeau, interim spokesman of MUNOC.

“The positive point is that the call to all the armed groups to release child soldiers has been heard by some of them”, the spokesman said.

In recent months, the MUNOC has several times appealed to all armed groups in eastern DRC to “immediately» release children in their ranks “and let them rejoin civilian life.

The UN mission also urged the armed groups to cease all recruitment of children, recalling the promise made by all armed groups in the provinces of North and South Kivu that signed the Goma document to immediately put an end to the recruitment of children and release those in their ranks.

UNICEF had slammed in March the recruitment of children by armed groups in eastern DRC, saying about 100 children had been recruited by armed groups between January and late March 2008.

Source African Press Agency

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