The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) fully supports efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for violence against children, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said on Wednesday, denouncing ongoing abuses in the country’s conflict-ridden east.
Speaking in an interview with Anadolu, Tuluka emphasised that the recruitment of children into the Congolese army is strictly prohibited.
However, she acknowledged reports of young students and university attendees being recruited by armed groups in the eastern city of Goma.
"We have followed, like you, UNICEF, which has indicated that there have been child executions," she said, adding: "We also observe, based on the information reaching us, that there are acts of violence against women and young girls, including rape."
'Justice'
The prime minister stressed that the affected regions are currently "arbitrarily occupied," limiting the government's ability to intervene directly.
However, she vowed that authorities would pursue justice for victims.
"We do denounce this, and we hope that justice will indeed be served and that all those who have committed such atrocities will be prosecuted," she said, adding that the presence of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor in Kinshasa could contribute to accountability efforts.
Prosecutor Karim Khan arrived in DR Congo on Tuesday to have talks with Congolese officials regarding the ongoing conflict.
Plagued by violence
She also noted that a UN-backed fact-finding mission and investigation, initiated through a Human Rights Council resolution, would help restore the rights of those affected.
The DRC’s eastern provinces have long been plagued by violence, with numerous armed groups accused of human rights abuses, including the forced recruitment of children.
Last week, the UN human rights office confirmed that the M23 rebels carried out "summary executions" of children in the eastern DR Congo as violence continues to grip the region.
"Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week," spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
Children armed
The office also documented reports of children being armed, raising further concerns about the ongoing conflict.
"We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons," Shamdasani said, urging Rwanda and the M23 rebels to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law.
On Wednesday, UNICEF said it was deeply concerned by the significant increase in reports of grave violations against children in parts of the eastern DR Congo, stressing the number of incidents has "tripled" since the latest escalation of violence, which began on January 24.
During this period, it said in a statement, data reveals that "cases of sexual violence have risen by more than two and a half times, abductions have increased six-fold, killing and maiming is up sevenfold, and attacks on schools and hospitals have multiplied by 12."
Mass recruitment
It also sounded an alarm over reports of mass recruitment drives by parties to the conflict targeting young people, which significantly heightens the risk of abduction and enrollment of children.
"Already, the DRC has one of the highest numbers of verified cases of child recruitment in conflict since global records began in 2005," it said.
It noted that since January, UNICEF and partners have supported the screening of 5,639 prospective recruits — including 302 women and girls — across the country, identifying 63 children, 12 of whom are girls, and reuniting them with their families.
The M23 group has intensified its territorial control in eastern DR Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.
Fighting in the eastern DR Congo has led to the deaths of more than 7,000 people this year, Tuluka told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
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