D. R. Congo
Advocacy
Seventeen non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) are listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s (SG) 2025 annual report on children and armed conflict (CAAC) for committing grave violations against children. The SG newly listed Mai-Mai Kashumba for recruitment and use and added this violation to the existing listings of CODECO and Mai-Mai Zaïre. According to the latest United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) report covering the period from December 2025 to March 2026, MONUSCO verified 212 grave violations affecting 185 children, including 44 girls and 141 boys. MONUSCO secured the release of 24 children who had been detained for their alleged association with NSAGs. During this reporting period, MONUSCO recorded 532 protection incidents that resulted in the killing of 62 children maiming of 94 children. In June, the SG will report on MONUSCO per SCR 2808 (2025). The Security Council should:
- Strongly condemn all continuing violations and abuses committed against children in the DRC, and demand that all parties uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL);
- Call on all parties to engage with the UN to develop and implement concrete commitments to end and prevent grave violations against children; including action plans where relevant;
- Urge all parties to take immediate steps to end and prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence against children and ensure that survivors have access to timely, comprehensive, gender-sensitive, and age-appropriate response and protection, and call on the Government to accelerate efforts to implement its 2012 action plan to end and prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence and the Joint Communiqué signed with the UN to fight sexual violence in conflict;
- Call on all parties to allow and facilitate the safe, timely, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations, especially children impacted by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC;
- Reiterate the crucial role of Child Protection Advisers in MONUSCO and demand that the Mission continues to ensure the effectiveness of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM).
FRANCE IS THE SECURITY COUNCIL PENHOLDER ON DRC.
This information is based on Watchlist’s Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update – June 2026.
Partnerships
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Watchlist has provided support via its Partnerships Program in order to strengthen local efforts to monitor, report on, and respond to grave violations against children. This support has included timely outreach and trainings for local civil society actors in Eastern DRC. Watchlist currently provides technical support, including mentoring, to one local organization in the DRC. Working through community-based protection committees, Watchlist’s partner monitors and documents child rights violations. They also engage with local authorities to improve access to referral services and to prevent violations.
Publications
UN Action
Year listed: 2003
Action Plans signed: FARDC (the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) – recruitment and use of children and sexual violence against children (October 2012) *Delisted in 2017 following compliance with Action Plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children. Action Plan on ending and preventing sexual violence against children under implementation.
Sanctions Committee: Sanctions Committee concerning Democratic Republic of Congo (Current Chair: Niger)
Secretary-General’s reports on CAAC in DRC: 2022; 2020; 2018; 2014; 2010; 2008; 2007; 2006
Security Council Working Group conclusions on DRC: 2020; 2018; 2014; 2011; 2009; 2007; 2006
UN Mission: MONUSCO
Perpetrators listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s annual reports on children and armed conflict
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | a | ||||||||||||||
| Forces armees congolaises (FAC) | a | ||||||||||||||
| Forces armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo (FARDC)~* | a | a,b,c,e | a,b,c,e | a,c,d,f | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c | c | |||
| Mouvement national de liberation du Congo (MLC) | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD)-Goma | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Local defence forces associated with RCD-Goma | a | ||||||||||||||
| Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD)-National | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD)-Kisangani/ML | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) (Hema militia) | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Union des patriotes congolais (UPC)-Thomas Lubanga and Florimert Kisembo factions | a | ||||||||||||||
| Parti pour l’unite et la sauvenarge du Congo (PUSIC) (Hema Militias) | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Masunzu’s forces | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Lendu militias | a | ||||||||||||||
| Front nationaliste et integrationaliste (FNI) (Lendu) | a | a,b | a | a,e | a | a,c | a,c | ||||||||
| Front populaire pour la reconciliation de l’Ituri (FPRI) (Ngiti) | a | ||||||||||||||
| Ex-FAR/Interahamwe | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Mai-Mai | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Mai-Mai in the Kivus, Maniema and Katanga | a,b | ||||||||||||||
| Mai-Mai groups in North and South Kivu, Maniema and Katanga who have not integrated into FARDC | a | a,e | |||||||||||||
| Union des patriotes congolais pour la paix (also known as Mai-Mai Lafontaine)* | a,d,f | a,c | a,c | a,c | a | a | a | a | a | ||||||
| Alliance des patriotes pour un Congo libre et souverain* | a | a | a | a | a | ||||||||||
| Mai-Mai Simba* | c | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c | ||||||||||
| Mai Mai “Tawimbi” | a | ||||||||||||||
| Forces armes populaires congolaises (FAPC) | a | a,b | |||||||||||||
| Mudundu-40 | a | a | |||||||||||||
| Laurent Nkunda and Jules Mutebutsi, dissident elements of FARDC | a,c | ||||||||||||||
| Non-integrated FARDC elements loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda | a,e | a,b,c,e | |||||||||||||
| Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR)* | a,b,c | a,e | a,b,c,e | a | a,c | a,c | a,c,d | a,c,d | a,c,d | a,c,d | a,c,d | a,c,d,e | |||
| Force de résistance patriotique de l’Ituri (FRPI)*/Front Populaire pour la Justice au Congo (FPJC) | a,e | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,c,d | a,c,d | a,c,d | a,c,d,e | ||||||
| Mouvement revolutionnaire congolais (MRC) | a,e | ||||||||||||||
| Congres national pour la defense du peuple (CNDP), formerly led by Laurent Nkunda and now Bosco Ntaganda | a,b,d | a,c | a,c | a,c | |||||||||||
| Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)* | a,b,c,e | a,c | a,c | a,c | a,b,c | a,b,c | a,b,c | a,b,c,e | a,b,c,e | ||||||
| Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) | a,c | a,c | |||||||||||||
| Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) | a,d | a,b,d | a,b,d | a,b,d,e | |||||||||||
| Mai-Mai Kata Katanga | a | a | a | a | |||||||||||
| Nduma défense du Congo-Rénové/Mai-Mai Cheka | a,b | a,b | a,b | a,b | |||||||||||
| Nyatura | a | a | a | a | |||||||||||
| Raia Mutomboki | a,c | a,c | |||||||||||||
| Mai-Mai Mazembe | a,b |
a: Parties that recruit and use children
b: Parties that kill and maim children
c: Parties that commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children
d: Parties that engage in attacks on schools and/or hospitals
e: Parties that engage in abduction of children
f: Parties that deny humanitarian access to children
~ This party has concluded an action plan with the United Nations in line with Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005).
* This party has been in the annexes for at least five years and is therefore considered a persistent perpetrator.
