DR Congo children 'still armed'

DR Congo children 'still armed'
Child soldiers in Congo
Many children still carry weapons
Eleven thousand children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are in the hands of armed groups or unaccounted for, says Amnesty International.

Three years after the end of a war in which they were forced to fight, children have not been demobilised, says the human rights group.

It blames a lack of political will, poor organisation and corruption.

The five-year conflict triggered a humanitarian crisis estimated to have killed nearly four million people.

The new government must make it their first priority to ensure that all children associated with armed forces and groups are released
Amnesty report

A demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programme launched two years ago was aimed at releasing child soldiers and getting them back into civilian life.

But Amnesty said the programme was failing and appealed to the winner of forthcoming presidential elections to make the issue a priority.

"The new government must make it their first priority to ensure that all children associated with armed forces and groups are released, protected and provided with meaningful educational and income-generating opportunities to enable them to stay within their communities," said the report.

"This is the only way to prevent the re-recruitment and further abandonment of these children."

The report says young girls are being disproportionately affected, used as sex slaves by military commanders or regarded as dependents of adult fighters.

Girls made up 40% of the children taken by armed groups during the war yet the vast majority remained unaccounted for, said Amnesty.

On 29 October the country will host its first multi-party poll in 46 years, when the second round of votes takes place for the presidential candidates.

It is hoped the poll will mark a new era for the former Belgian colony.