The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, has said that the situation for children in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has deteriorated «drastically» in recent months, urging «those responsible for atrocities» to be held accountable.
According to the representative of the UN Secretary General’s office, minors are the most affected by the intensification of armed activities by an increasing number of armed groups, including resurgent armed groups, especially in North Kivu and Ituri.
«The latest increase in the number of children killed and maimed and in attacks on schools and hospitals, according to preliminary data, is shocking,» Gamba said in a statement released by the UN.
In North Kivu, the intensification of hostilities is reportedly exposing children to high levels of violence. Recent offensives by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have had serious consequences for children, according to the UN office.
In this regard, the number of grave violations attributed to the M23 has increased more than twenty-fold over the course of the past year. «I am particularly shocked by the Kishishe and Bambo massacre in December 2022, in which more than twenty children were killed or maimed, and multiple schools were destroyed by M23,» added Gamba.
In Ituri, the already dire situation is drastically deteriorating, and cases of targeted attacks against civilians, including children, are on the rise.
«I am appalled by recent reports that mass graves have been found near the villages of Nyamamba and Mbogi, following attacks by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) against the civilian population. I am devastated that the bodies of six children have been found in one of the mass graves,» the Special Representative stressed.
Such attacks are also reportedly reducing the access of humanitarian workers to those in need of assistance, including children.
In addition, intensified fighting between the Mai-Mai, Twigwaneho and Gumino groups in South Kivu continues to pose «serious threats» to children, while the ongoing activities of armed groups «are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the DRC with serious and lasting repercussions for children».
«The DRC already hosts the largest number of internally displaced persons on the African continent, due in large part to the activities of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), CODECO, twigwaneho and mai-mai groups,» the UN missive reads.
The special representative called on «those responsible for atrocities» against civilians, including children, to be held accountable. Meanwhile, she welcomed the DRC government’s efforts to hold perpetrators of grave violations against children accountable, including through the prosecution of alleged perpetrators.
It has also called on all armed groups to «immediately» cease hostilities and adhere to the Program for Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization (P-DDRCS).
«I urge all armed groups to sign action plans or unilateral commitments to the United Nations to end and prevent grave violations against children and remind those that already have such commitments to implement them fully and without delay,» Gamba added.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
