Topic: 2025 – Reducing Recruitment Capabilities of Terrorist Groups
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Anish Kulkarni
Committee: Disarmament & International Security Committee
Topic: Reducing The Recruitment Capabilities of Terrorist Groups
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Delegate: Anish Kulkarni, City High Middle School
Across the globe, terrorism has increasingly taken advantage of fragile states, vulnerable communities, and gaps in governance; terrorist recruitment is emerging as one of the most dangerous components of the threat. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is among the countries where it sees firsthand the recruitment capabilities of terrorist groups. Prolonged conflict, limited public services, and widespread economic hardship have created conditions that terrorist organizations exploit to draw in new members. Groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), CODECO, and Mai-Mai factions operate within Congolese territory and actively target young civilians for recruitment through coercion, manipulation, a promise of income, or protection. As these recruitment patterns undermine the DRC’s national security, communities, and state authority, the Democratic Republic of the Congo views preventing terrorist recruitment capabilities as essential to restoring stability, strengthening governance, and safeguarding its population.
The DRC aligns its counter-recruitment strategy with the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and relevant Security Council resolutions, guiding national efforts to limit recruitment, radicalization, and terrorist mobility. To reduce the number of active fighters, the DRC has expanded Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs that provide vocational training, reintegration support, and counseling to former combatants, including children who were forcibly recruited. Working with partners such as UNICEF, MONUSCO, and local organizations, the DRC continues to rehabilitate formerly recruited minors and strengthen legal protections against child recruitment.
The DRC also continues joint security operations with regional partners, including Uganda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to weaken armed groups’ operational capacity and restrict their ability to recruit in the eastern provinces. These national actions reflect the DRC’s commitment to reducing recruitment not only through security measures but also through socioeconomic recovery.
In addition to these initiatives taken, the DRC is increasingly adapting national policies to address modern recruitment methods, particularly through the rise of online radicalization. While internet penetration is uneven across the country, terrorist groups increasingly use messaging apps and online spaces to spread propaganda. In response, the government is strengthening cooperation with UNODC and MONUSCO to build basic capacity for monitoring online extremist activity and improving digital literacy in vulnerable communities. These initiatives are helping the DRC develop foundational tools to understand how terrorist groups use digital platforms. At the same time, the DRC has strengthened oversight in areas such terrorist groups use to make money for recruitment. The Ministry of Mines and ARECOMS have increased inspections of artisanal mining sites in Ituri, North Kivu, and Maniema, to disrupt the illegal mineral economies that armed groups rely on for funding. Reducing these financial flows is essential for weakening their recruitment incentives.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo emphasizes that long-term prevention of recruitment cannot be achieved through security measures alone, the DRC believes that preventing terrorist recruitment requires sustained investment in human development and stronger state institutions. The DRC urges the international community to invest in education and school infrastructure, and create youth programs in provinces heavily affected by insecurity. The DRC also supports international assistance for programs that provide job training, agricultural support, and small-business grants for young people who might otherwise be vulnerable to terrorist recruitment across the globe. Finally, the DRC supports enhanced efforts to stop extremist propaganda online by increasing digital monitoring tools, strengthening public awareness campaigns, and improving the government’s ability to detect harmful messaging.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo remains committed to working with international partners to address the vulnerabilities that armed groups exploit and to build lasting stability by reducing terrorist recruitment.
Bibliography:
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MONUSCO. Report on the Recruitment and Use of Children in Armed Groups in the DRC (2014–2017). United Nations, 2019, https://monusco.unmissions.org/en/report-recruitment-and-use-children-armed-groups-drc-2014-2017. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
United Nations. “DRC: Thousands of Children Face Escalating Violence and Exploitation Amid Intensifying Conflict.” Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary‑General for Children and Armed Conflict, 21 Nov. 2024, https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2024/11/drc-thousands-of-children-face-escalating-violence-and-exploitation-amid-intensifying-conflict/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
Reuters. “Islamic State‑linked Rebels Kill 89 Civilians in East Congo Attacks, UN Force Says.” Reuters, 21 Nov. 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/islamic-state-linked-rebels-kill-89-civilians-east-congo-attacks-un-force-says-2025-11-21. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
U.S. Department of the Treasury. “Treasury Sanctions Entities Linked to Violence and Illegal Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Press Release, 12 Aug. 2025, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0221. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
Human Rights Watch. DR Congo: Armed Groups Kill Civilians, Recruit Children. HRW, 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/10/dr-congo-armed-groups-kill-civilians-recruit-children. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
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