The United States places Rwanda on the CSPA list of countries that use child soldiers and decides to restrict its military cooperation with Kigali. Washington explains this decision by Rwanda’s support for the M23 armed group.
1 min
with our correspondent in Miami, David Thomson
Rwanda is the 19th country added to this list by Washington. A list called CSPA for Child Prevention Act, the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, which restricts military cooperation with the United States. In 2013, the United States had already suspended its military aid in Rwanda under this law.
Read alsoRwanda denies accusations of recruiting child soldiers for M23
According to a spokesperson for the US State Department contacted by RFI, this blacklist aims to “ hold accountable countries for which we have credible information indicating that they recruit and use child soldiers either in their government forces or in armed groups they support “.
It is in this second category that Kigali falls. If Rwanda was added to the CSPA 2023 list, continues this American official, it is because the “ Rwanda’s RDF defense forces provided support to the M23, an armed group that recruited and used child soldiers “.
Accusations already confirmed by several UN reports, even if Kigali has always denied supporting this armed group present in North Kivu: according to Unicef in 2022, more than 17,500 children had been taken out of armed groups since 2017, but thousands were still there, the majority in combat zones in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. The United States will therefore restrict its military aid to Rwanda as well as sales of arms and equipment, starting October 1.
Read alsoDocumentary: “Fight like soldiers, die like children”