August 11, 1998

President Laurent Desiré Kabila
President of the Republic
The Presidency of the Republic
Kinshasa - Ngaliema
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Your Excellency,

Human Rights Watch is alarmed by recent reports that your government has initiated a military recruitment drive targeting children as young as twelve years of age. Our sources confirm that an official communique aired August 7 on national radio called for children and youth between twelve and twenty to enlist in the armed forces. International law (as defined in the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional Protocols of 1977 and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child) clearly prohibits the recruitment of any child under the age of 15, and an international consensus is building in favor of prohibitions on any military recruitment below the age of 18. We strongly urge you immediately to exclude any children under the age of 18 from your military recruitment efforts and from participation in military efforts to respond to the current rebellion against your government.

Prior to your taking power in 1996, thousands of children (known as "kadogo") were recruited into your army. We are aware that many of these children continue to serve as soldiers, and are being mobilized as part of the current conflict. In addition to ending all current military recruitment of children under 18, we also urge the immediate demobilization of all children who may already be part of your forces.

Emotionally and physically immature, children are ill-equipped to deal with the harsh realities of armed conflict. Because of their inexperience and lack of training, child soldiers suffer far higher casualty rates than their adult counterparts. Those who survive may be permanently disabled, or bear psychological scars from being forced to both commit and witness horrific atrocities. Former child combatants often require much more intensive rehabilitation and reintegration services than adult soldiers following a conflict. Often denied an education and the opportunity to learn skills that are beneficial to civilian society, former child combatants are often drawn back into conflicts, and are easy prey for armed opposition groups and criminal gangs.

Increasingly, the use of child soldiers is being condemned by the international community. In her 1996 report to the United Nations on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, Graca Machel called for the immediate demobilization of all children under the age of 18 from armed forces, and for new international standards that would raise the minimum age for recruitment and participation in hostilities to 18 years. Recently, the Security Council also expressed its grave concern at the harmful impact of armed conflict on children, and condemned the use of child soldiers. In a June 29 statement, the Council called upon all parties concerned to comply strictly with their obligations under international law.

Recognizing the need to enforce existing standards, just last month, over 150 nations assembled to draft a treaty to establish the world's first permanent International Criminal Court, which will have jurisdiction to prosecute persons charged with war crimes, genocide, aggression, and crimes against humanity. Included in the list of war crimes is "conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into armed forces or groups or using them to participate actively in hostilities."

Nongovernmental organizations are also deeply concerned about the use of child soldiers. Human Rights Watch is part of the newly-formed Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, which represents a growing number of nongovernmental organizations that are working to mobilize public opinion and government action on behalf of stronger international standards to protect children from military recruitment and use in armed conflict. The Coalition is seeking the adoption of, and adherence to, an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, prohibiting the military recruitment and participation in hostilities of any person younger than 18 years of age, and the recognition and enforcement of this standard by all armed forces and groups, both governmental and nongovernmental.

The use of children as combatants violates both international law and common standards of decency. We call upon you to show leadership in stopping this reprehensible practice by immediately ending the military recruitment of all children under the age of 18, and demobilizing all children who are already part of your armed forces.

We greatly appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,