They need help in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tragedies of children of Congolese mothers and fathers of peacekeepers

  • A Congolese boy jokes with a member of the UN peacekeeping force.

    A.F.B

  • Thousands of Congolese gather in front of troop carriers of the UN peacekeepers in Kafumo.

    A.F.B

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Chance, 16, with fair skin, looks different from the other students at her school in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). .

Her mother, Faida, 45, says, "I was in a relationship in 2006 with a man from Uruguay, whom I loved very much (...). I was two months pregnant when he left the Democratic Republic of the Congo without saying goodbye to me."

At the time, Faida was a cleaner at one of the two camps of the international peacekeepers in Kafumo, 30 kilometers north of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, which is witnessing clashes between armed groups.

In Cavumo, AFP met four women who said they had children with peacekeepers.

The prevalence of these cases prompted the United Nations to impose a law on the "ethical conduct of workers" in 2012, and to help the families concerned by bearing the costs of children's education.

These women did not talk about their exposure to violence, but some of them were between 14 and 15 years old when they had sexual relations with these soldiers, in exchange for a promise of marriage, money or small gifts.

I can't answer

Masika, 29, says, "I don't have a husband. Men don't want me, because I gave birth to a child from a soldier from the United Nations Mission, who is South African," adding, "He was a tall, handsome young man."

She was 15 years old at the time, and sold peanuts near her uncle's shop near the Adi-Kivu camp.

The soldier had "wooed her for six months", and gave her "a little money".

"I refused, I was afraid, but I finally gave up," she added.

When Masika realized she was pregnant, the soldier had "left the Congo, and his phone number didn't work."

She gave birth to a daughter named Catherine, who is now 14 years old, and is a student at a school in Kafumo.

Masika explains that the UN mission "pays the school fees and buys the supplies."

And she continues, “Catherine is black like the other children in the neighborhood, and she adapts quickly.” But the only problem is that “she sometimes asks me where her father is.

I can't answer.

As for Bora, she gave birth to a girl and a boy from two South African soldiers from the mission.

One of them was a cook, and the other was “an engineer working with the water supply in the Adi-Kivu camp,” but she lost touch with both of them.

The father of her daughter, Annie, 17, had promised to take her to South Africa.

She says, "He left me money with my neighbor in order to issue a passport for me, but the neighbor took the money, and she is now dead."

Annie and her brother, Steve, 14, attend school because the mission supports them.

Support and help

"We identified within our organization 11 children, whose mothers say they are fathers from the mission in Kafumo," says Zawadi Bazilan, the head of a non-governmental organization that supports women and works as a link between the United Nations mission and the population in this file.

Two of these children died.

And she continues, “We had difficulty collecting the files, because women often do not know the true identities of the fathers of their children.

But we collected testimonies from the surroundings, and from the heads of the villages.”

She points out that these mothers learn crafts such as making baskets or sewing “in order to reintegrate them into society.”

She explains that some of them also keep livestock.

The UN mission says it "ensures that all accusations of sexual exploitation or abuse" against the blue helmets are promptly investigated.

And she added, in a letter to Agence France-Presse, that she was keen “for the victims and their children to receive appropriate support and assistance.”

Since 2013, "no case" has been recorded in Kafumo, and in the surrounding villages, against members of the international forces, according to the mission, which attributes this to "cooperation" between it and organizations and "community networks" working to raise awareness against sexual violence.

According to the United Nations mission, at least 158 ​​women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have benefited from projects funded by the United Nations, and 63 children have received “educational assistance.”

• The women did not talk about their exposure to violence, but some of them were between 14 and 15 years old when they had relationships with these soldiers, in exchange for a promise of marriage, money or small gifts.

• According to the UN Mission, at least 158 ​​women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have benefited from UN-funded projects, and 63 children have received educational assistance.

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