Armed Groups Attack School in Congo

Armed Groups Attack School in Congo

Armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo have attacked a school in a bid to recruit child soldiers. Save the Children knows of two recent incidents in which schoolchildren have been targeted. The children’s charity says the attacks are part of an explosion in child recruitment over the past few weeks.

On 26th October an armed group attacked a secondary school in Shasha, seven kilometres outside Sake. Twelve children escaped but one was killed.

In another incident near Masisi on 10th October, seven children and three teachers were abducted after an armed group waited for them outside the school. They were held for two days before managing to escape.

Recruitment of children has taken place in Singa in Rutshuru, and children in Masisi have been forced to carry weapons and ammunition. Save the Children is caring for several children who have escaped from armed groups.

“There has been an explosion in the number of children being recruited since the latest violence began and the attacks on schoolchildren are a disturbing development,” said Ishbel Matheson, Save the Children spokesperson in Eastern DR Congo. “One child told me that they are scared to go back to school for fear of being attacked. For these children, getting an education is their only hope for the future. If they can’t go to school they lose that hope.”

The conflict in DR Congo has a terrible history of targeting children. Boys are forced to fight and girls are taken as ‘wives’ by soldiers. Before the most recent upsurge in violence an estimated 3000 children were being held by armed groups. That number is now expected to soar.

Save the Children has been working in DR Congo since 1994 and is running one of the world’s largest programmes to reintegrate child soldiers into their communities. In the last year the charity has helped 2200 children out of armed groups and reunited most of them with their families. Many of these children will now be at risk of being re-recruited into the fighting.

“For these children it is a recurring nightmare,” said Ishbel Matheson. “Children who are forced into armed conflict suffer terrible physical and emotional damage. They are traumatised by being separated from their families and may witness executions, beatings and torture. Many young girls now have babies.

“We have been working with these children to reunite them with their families or find them foster families to live with. But in the current upsurge in violence many of these children will be re-taken by armed groups.”

Save the Children is calling for all groups to end the recruitment of children in line with January’s Goma Peace Agreement. The charity is also acting to identify unaccompanied children in Eastern DR Congo and reunite them with their families. So far 250 unaccompanied children have been found since the recent fighting began.

How you can help
To support children and their families affected by the recent resurgence of conflict in eastern DRC please visit THIS SITE or donate now

For Save the Children’s media unit in Goma please contact Ishbel Matheson, Ishbel.Matheson@mrgmail.org, +243 998 593 375 or +44 7899 902 886.

For Save the Children New Zealand please contact Shelley McCarten, Communications Advisor, shelley.mccarten@savethechildren.org.nz / 04 381 7573 / 021 108 9131

ENDS

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