Take Action for Human Rights

Protect Children Exposed to Gruesome Violence in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasai Region

As the violence in Kasai continues, children continue to suffer the most, being exposed to horrid violence. Thousands of children have been either forcibly recruited or tricked into fighting in the armed conflict by armed groups such as the Kamuena Nsapu. A military campaign launched by the government against the Kamuena Nsapu insurgency has cost thousands of lives and has displaced more than a million people, some within the Kasai region and others crossing into Angola.

Children, as young as 11, who spoke to our researchers in 2017, told stories of gruesome abuses including being forced to participate in the combat, sustaining injuries from bullets. They also said they were forced by Kamuena Nsapu leaders to drink mystic fluids, supposedly in order to protect them against bullets during combat.

According to United Nations agencies, the humanitarian crisis resulting from the conflict is worsening as more than 700,000 children are malnourished and need urgent assistance to recover from acute malnutrition.

Take action with us: Ask the DRC government to act now to protect children from use in armed forces and other abuses by all parties involved in the conflict.

⬇ Make Your Voice Heard ⬇

President

DRC Government

Mr. President,

I am writing to raise my concerns about the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in the Kasai region and call on your administration to take urgent and effective measures to protect children from the widespread violence.

Since 2016, thousands of children have been recruited to fight in armed groups and exposed to horrid violence in the Kasai. According to United Nations agencies, the humanitarian crisis resulting from the violence is worsening as more than 700,000 children are malnourished and need urgent assistance to recover from acute malnutrition.

The United Nations has accused the government forces of having supported and even led the Bana Mura militia to fight against the Kamuena Nsapu insurgency. These attacks often resulted into extrajudicial executions of children and rape of women and girls. This is in addition to gruesome abuses, including being forced to participate in the combat by the Kamuena Nsapu leaders, sustaining injuries from bullets.

I respectfully urge you, in accordance with DRC’s obligations under international law, to take effective measures to protect civilians in the region of the Kasai. The authorities must disband and disarm the Bana Mura militia. All those who are suspected of serious violations of human rights must be brought to justice in fair trials. In particular, I ask you to protect children under 18 in Kasai from forced or voluntary recruitment or use in armed combat and other abuses by all parties involved in the conflict in this region; and to ensure that former child soldiers have access to programmes that cater adequately for their reintegration into the community.
 
I also would like to remind you that recruitment of children under 15 years of age into armed forces or armed groups or their use in hostilities is a war crime.
 
Your sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}