Rwanda
Ex-child soldiers begin rehabilitation in Rwanda

afrol News, 21 August - Some 227 former child soldiers, ranging in age from 10 to 18 years, have arrived at a rehabilitation centre outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali after being held near the conflict zone in northwest Rwanda where they were captured over the summer.

Most of the children say they were forcibly recruited and trained in eastern Congo Kinshasa (DRC). Rwanda's large neighbour country hosts several rebel groups fighting the Rwandan government. Some of these also were responsible for the 1994 genocide, killing almost 1 million Rwandans.

In late May clashes erupted in northwestern Rwanda between the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) and "infiltrators" from Congo Kinshasa. After two weeks of conflict, the Rwandan army gained control over most of the area, periodically capturing opposing fighters. Of the approximately 1,000 combatants taken into custody through early August, several hundred were children. 

Initially kept under the custody of military authorities, the children were soon transferred to a "solidarity" camp in Mudende (Gisenyi Prefecture) set up by the civilian authorities to re-educate those who had been captured or who had surrendered. 

To help care for the children, UNICEF provided health supplies, water, sanitation facilities and basic survival items including mattresses, blankets and bed sheets, according to a release by the UN agency yesterday.

- By early August, nearly 300 children had been taken into custody, at a rate of about 50 children per week, said Gerry Dyer, UNICEF's Chief Programme Officer in Rwanda. "Approximately 85 per cent of the children are Rwandan, the rest Congolese." 

The children, transferred to the Gitagata rehabilitation centre outside Kigali over the last several days, are now receiving psychosocial counselling and non-formal education provided by UNICEF and its partners. "We are attempting to locate their families and prepare them for eventual re-integration into their communities," Dyer said, adding that government sources had indicated that another 200 former child soldiers could arrive at the centre over the next month.

The children have all expressed a desire to be reunited with their families and communities, and many of them want to return to school. "I lost both my parents and only one of my sisters survived," said 15-year-old Mbarushimana. "We were forced to join the rebel forces and to perform tasks like water collection, food preparation and carrying soldiers' loads. I am happy to be back in Rwanda - I feel safe and would like to resume school activities."

UNICEF led the first mission to Gisenyi after the roads were opened on 1 June. Once the government had set up the solidarity camp in early July, UNICEF immediately provided basic items for the children, including clothes and food. UNICEF also successfully urged the government to separate the children from the adults.

The children are now in rehabilitation, but UNICEF still has many fields of work, together with other UN agencies and organisations. Important tasks include tracing and family reunification, providing food, nutrition and non-formal education and psychosocial support. 

- We don't believe the children should stay in Gitagata for more than six months, UNICEF's Dyer said. "While we try to locate their families, all possible measures are being taken to provide them with the care and protection they deserve - both now and later, when they return home. That's their right.".

Sources: UNICEF and afrol archives

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