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Mr. Mwingwa was 17 when a insurgent group – RCD Goma – satisfied him to hitch its ranks, and combat towards the then authorities of President Laurent Kabila, with guarantees of a lifetime of prosperity.
He was recruited in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and began army coaching within the bush. After combating for seven years, Mr. Mwingwa, surrendered and is now an worker of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, (MONUSCO) as a Hearth Security Assistant.
“After I joined RCD Goma, A dismal future was in retailer for me. The federal government was making an attempt to impose one tribe, to rule over your complete nation, and the insurgent leaders promised that after we had liberated the nation, we might prosper.
After recruitment, we stayed in Goma for a month after which we had been despatched to Rwampara army camp, situated in Bunia, Ituri province. The insurgent leaders realized that our mother and father had been in search of us, and it may have been simpler for them to identify us in Goma.
In 1999 the coaching was moved to Kisangani, earlier than we had been despatched to the battlefield in Manono, Tanganyika province. The combating was intense. We used heavy weaponry like Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs). We had been very younger, and a few of those that survived later, had psychological breakdowns.
I suffered loads. The circumstances had been filthy and stinking, and we had been infested with lice.
‘Please return residence’
I used to be picked to escort our chief again to Goma, together with different fighters, and when my mom discovered that I used to be again, she pleaded with me to remain residence, as members of the family had been saddened by what they heard I went by way of within the bush.
However I stayed with the group, and it wasn’t till 2004 that I made a decision to go away. I noticed that life with armed teams didn’t deliver the prosperity they’d promised: no matter cash we acquired, we needed to give to the management, who didn’t even present us with shelter.
The next yr, I heard concerning the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programme, run by the UN peacekeeping mission. I surrendered my weapons and uniforms, and adopted all procedures, together with visiting an workplace that verified whether or not or not I had certainly taken army coaching, or dedicated any crimes locally.
I acquired a job as a safety guard, the place I obtained coaching in engineering and hearth security. When my contract ended, I secured a number of additional short-term contracts till I used to be employed by MONUSCO as a Hearth Security Assistant in 2015.
I’m grateful that MONUSCO has been with me since my give up. I make a good wage and I personal a home. I’m married, and am capable of present my youngsters with a great training.
My message to younger individuals is that they need to not go combating within the bush, as there are not any advantages. I suffered, I wasted time. And to combatants, I say, please come residence and study varied abilities. You may be employed like me, and life is nice”.
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