Interview with Madeleine Yila Bompoto, coordinator of efforts to reintegrate ex-child soldiers

One of the consequences of 10 years of intermittent war in the Republic of the Congo (ROC) is the number of child soldiers who must now adapt to civilian life. With support from the International Labour Office (ILO) and the United States, a government programme in the country will work to prevent children getting involved in further conflicts and to rehabilitate those who have fought in past wars. IRIN interviewed Madeleine Yila Bompoto, the national coordinator of this reintegration project. The following is an excerpt from the interview: QUESTION: How many Congolese former child soldiers are there? From which parts of the country do they come? ANSWER: There was never formal demobilisation, thus nobody can count the number of children who participated in the wars. However, estimates by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and by the national high commission for the reintegration of former child soldiers suggest around 5,000 children were involved. They came from almost all over the country. Q: The government and the former rebel Conseil nationale de resistance signed a peace agreement in 2003. Why has it taken so long to begin the reintegration programme for former child soldiers? A: I do not know if the conditions exist at this time for the reintegration of the children in the Pool region, despite the signing of peace undertakings. We have waited a long time. We are an ILO project financed by the US, in particular its Department of Labour. This project covers seven countries at a cost of US $7 million. Of this, the Congo gets $312,000. Given that the number of child soldiers was unknown, and taking into account the population of ROC compared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this is the amount they allocated to us. Q: Of the estimated 5,000 former child soldiers in the country, you have taken only 115 children for the pilot project. Is this a sufficient number? A: It's true that the sample is insufficient, but the aim of our pilot project is to serve as a reference for the high commission on the reintegration of ex-combatants. Within the framework of the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) programme, the high commission will cover a significant number of children - up to 4,000. This means that no child will be left out. We are here to build up experience. The efforts that succeed will be available to the high commission; those experiments that do not work will allow the high commission to draw lessons and adjust accordingly. Q: These ex-child soldiers are certain to be victims of prejudices and rejection by their families. Is the policy to reunite the children with their families? A: The ILO has neither the mandate nor the expertise for this kind of operation. We have, however, developed synergies with the UNICEF and the Congolese Ministry of Social Affairs, which have a family-reunification project. Therefore, if we have children who had not yet been reunited with their families, we will consult UNICEF. UNICEF then could conduct the reunion, because it has already done this kind of thing before. Q: You have included a health and HIV/AIDS awareness and education component in the programme. Are these children vulnerable to HIV/AIDS? A: The children are vulnerable from a general health and economic standpoint. It is for this reason that in our project we have laid emphasis not only on socioeconomic reintegration but also on the fight against AIDS and even on drug addiction. We are increasing public awareness of HIV/AIDS so that children will be informed and take precautions to protect themselves. Q: Have you directly called on the children involved in this project? A: I have already met the children. What we do gives them an opportunity. The former child soldiers are vulnerable, but there are other children - like street children and orphans - who do not have this opportunity.