From gunfire to a safe haven, it's a fresh start for ex-child soldiers

Ms Furaha Penina, 23, shook with fury at the mere mention of rebel groups operating in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The object of her fury was the flurry of abuses meted on her during the two years she was a child soldier under one militia group, which, together with 200 others, have terrorized the region.

Penina was captured at 14 in an ambush. Since then and after her escape, she hasn’t met or spoken with her parents whom she suspects could still be living in the DRC.

“The memories are horrid. I went to hell and back. I fled and with the help of the UNHCR to a rehabilitation centre in Musogo, Rwanda,” Penina tells journalists.

At the centre, several former child soldiers share harrowing ordeals. They shed tears – some of happiness and some of pity or regret. They became part of the statistics of the growing number of young forcefully taken to fight in the Kivu Province of DRC.

Independent agencies including Unicef estimate that some 10,000 children have been associated with militias. “The Congolese army held me by force and ordered me to serve or else I die by the barrel of the gun. They took me through paramilitary training. They gave me accommodation, food and a firearm but without a salary,” says Irokoze Martin, 26, captured at 13.  

He added: “At some point, I didn’t know who I was. They could kill and maim at will. Within the forest and camps, we were not allowed to communicate or go outside. They day I escaped, I hid among FARDC solders and got out of the camps. That’s the time I returned to Rwanda.”

The fighting between FARDC, the Congolese army and armed groups like M23, has had several casualties. Killings, rape and systematic looting continue. It has led to a diplomatic row between DRC and Rwanda, with mediation led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta counting for little.

Kigali says it is a Congolese problem but President Felix Tshisekedi’s administration accuses President Paul Kamage’s side of supporting M23. Meanwhile, a lot remains at stake.

Visiting the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) in Mutobo, you meet former child soldiers and ex-combatants being rehabilitated. Apart from militia members, others took part, directly or indirectly, in the 1994 genocide. They hope for a fresh start.  

RDRC was created in 1997 by the Rwanda Cabinet and approved by a presidential decree to seek out militia members, no matter their ages and degree of crimes, offer them soft amnesty with the understanding that they would get psycho-social support, and get integrated back to society.

The commission has several centres that provide social and economic reintegration support to the demobilized ex-combatants, with tailored support to the women, the disabled and child ex-combatants. The programme, according to local officials, has so far reformed an estimated 13,000 militia members, and more are being admitted on a rolling basis. 

“While we do our best to help the reform and reintegrate back to society, we work closely with the Rwanda Investigation Bureau in ensuring that the culpable take responsibility for their actions. Some would still appear before Rwanda’s community courts of ‘Gacaca’,” says the Mutobo centre manager, Mudeyi Cyprien. 

RDRC Secretary General Francis Musoni says the process starts with cross-border sensitization for voluntary disarmament and repatriation of members of armed groups and negative forces.

Rwandan officials believe this model is a viable antidote to the militia problem over and above physical counter-attacks and arrests. Those enrolled are kept in the centres for three months, getting counselling, mainstreaming, and training in a craft. They also get financial support from the government. They are converted into change agents.

“We can feel the change. It is also good that the communities have embraced us. We feared the stigma but after going through rehabilitation at the centre, it’s like life is back to normal. We are being treated as any other member of society,” says Penina.

The militia menace is not unique to Rwanda and DRC. Thirteen years ago, a parliamentary probe accused top Kenyan politicians and retired security chiefs of funding and training militia groups, mainly in the Rift Valley and Coast regions.

As Kenya tries to nip the gangs in the bud in the volatile parts of the North Rift, it could opt for a peaceful and negotiation-oriented method similar to the RDRC that involves socio-economic reintegration of former combatants and disenfranchised groups into society.

Rwandan officials say it keen on working with other countries to upscale the RDRC model.