DRC condemns killings, abductions and child recruitment in conflict
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
At the UN Security Council session on 26 October 2026, the DRC’s deputy permanent representative, Jocelyne Kabengele Lukundula, condemned the killing, maiming, abduction and forced recruitment of children and attacks on schools in armed conflicts. Kinshasa also defended its efforts to prevent recruitment and reintegrate children associated with armed groups, according to Actualite.cd.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo condemned the killing, maiming, abduction and forced recruitment of children, as well as attacks on schools, during a UN Security Council meeting devoted to children in armed conflicts. Ambassador Jocelyne Kabengele Lukundula, the DRC’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, presented this position on Monday 26 October, according to Actualité.cd.
The diplomat said that armed groups active in eastern DRC continued to expose children to forced recruitment, abduction and sexual violence, while depriving them of education. She also recalled that international mechanisms established since the 1996 Graça Machel report had contributed to the release of more than 220,000 children and the conclusion of 38 action plans.
The DRC says it has strengthened its cooperation with the United Nations to prevent child recruitment, combat impunity and reintegrate children associated with armed groups. It is calling for schools to remain safe spaces in accordance with international humanitarian law.
This statement came after fighting between the FRN and the Congolese army in Gipimo on 26 October, followed by a CRP attack on the army in Ituri, reported on 30 October.
