Chambu dismissed this as “a cynical staging” designed to mask the reality of forced recruitment.

“These young people are extorted, threatened, isolated from their families, and used as human shields, ammunition carriers, or combatants of convenience. These practices are unacceptable barbarism,” Chambu stated.

She further accused Rwanda of providing military and logistical support to the M23/AFC rebel coalition — an allegation Kigali has consistently denied.

The call for a UN investigation comes amid renewed violence in the eastern DRC, despite a recently signed peace agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali.

The minister stressed that these actions violate both international humanitarian law and the DRC’s own Constitution, particularly provisions safeguarding children’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the DRC is a signatory.

“The perpetrators, instigators, and accomplices of these crimes must be identified, prosecuted, and brought to justice,” she said, adding that the government would mobilize all institutions—judicial, security, and political—to fight impunity.

In her message to the abducted youths, Chambu offered a note of hope:

“You are our future, our strength, our hope. Do not give in to fear, blackmail, or violence.”

This latest appeal underscores the DRC government’s increasing alarm over the humanitarian and security crisis in the east, where rebel control continues to jeopardize peace efforts and threaten civilian populations.

The United Nations has not yet issued a formal response to the minister’s request, but its Commission on Human Rights is currently investigating broader rights violations in the conflict-ridden region.