Mother arrested with 5 children in Eastern DRC over ADF Recruitment activities

The Joint Security Task Team in Rwenzori West, in collaboration with their Eastern DRC counterparts have arrested a mother of two, with 3 other girls aged 11, 13 and 15, who were being smuggled out of the country as ADF recruits.

According to SCP Enanga Fred the Police Spokesperson, the 22-year-old mother and her two sons aged 3 and 5, plus the 3 other girls, had travelled from Buziika village in Njeru sub-county, Jinja district.

The group arrived at the borderline on 22.02.2023 and crossed into the Eastern DRC from Banamayi in Kabuyini cell, where they were intercepted by the Congolese security, and handed over to the Ugandan Joint Task Team on 25.02.2023.

The ADF recruits were being led by an ADF operative, whose identity was established and included on our wanted list.

“As you are all aware, the ADF are finding it hard to smuggle recruits out of the country and are recruiting children and women to carry out a variety of roles within or for the groups. The children are used in hostilities such as frontline fighting, executions, terror-related activities. Sometimes they are used for supporting roles as messengers, smugglers or spies among others,” says Enanga.

He adds that “We continue to caution parents and guardians against handing over their children to actors of violence like the ADF. The 4 suspected recruits and the two young boys were handed over to the Mountain Division of the UPDF for further management.”