Unicef on Friday demanded the release of at least 13 children, 11 boys and 2 girls, kidnapped earlier this week in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during an attack attributed to the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces).
This attack in the village of Makugwe in the province of North Kivu killed at least 24 people overnight from Sunday to Monday.
In a press release, Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) “demanded the immediate and unconditional release of at least 13 children who were allegedly kidnapped” during this night of violence. These children are “11 boys and 2 girls, aged 12 to 14”.
According to the UN agency, in this attack “at least 24 people were killed, including a 13-year-old girl and five women” and “at least seven children – aged 9 to 12 – were separated from their parents”. .
The Islamic State jihadist group, which presents the ADF as its branch in central Africa, claimed responsibility on the social network Telegram for the attack on the village of Makugwe.
The principle according to which “children have no place in armed conflicts and must be protected from violence and kidnappings is enshrined in international law”, recalls UNICEF in its press release.
The ADF, Muslim rebels of Ugandan origin, are active in the north of North Kivu and the south of the neighboring province of Ituri. They are considered one of the deadliest armed groups in the eastern region of the DRC, where around a hundred armed groups are listed.