The brutal life of child recruits under a shadowy African rebel group
Kidnapped, drugged and forced to loot, survivors detail life inside the ADF’s hidden forest camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Forcibly recruited into a rebel militia affiliated with Islamic State, two boys have revealed the “torment” of living in its camps as members committed massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast.
The two minors freed from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) gave Agence France-Presse an unprecedented account of the shadowy group, notorious for its extreme brutality.
Paluku, a frail 12-year-old, spent two months with the ADF after rebels killed his mother during an attack on his village in eastern North Kivu province. His brother and sister were also captured.
Edouard, 17, spent a gruelling four years with the ADF - formed by Ugandan rebels who took refuge in DRC - after he was kidnapped at age 12.
The two boys, using pseudonyms, spoke on condition of anonymity at a centre specialising in the care of minors recruited by armed groups in the region, whose location Agence France-Presse has chosen not to disclose to avoid potential reprisals.
Their accounts were confirmed by health and security sources.