Around 375,000 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s war-torn North Kivu province are missing school, Save the Children reported Thursday.
The charity warned that these children are increasingly vulnerable to violence and recruitment by armed groups.
Since the resurgence of Rwanda-backed M23 fighters in 2021, the region has been embroiled in conflict. M23 forces captured key areas, including the city of Goma in January, exacerbating the crisis.
“Children are being denied their fundamental right to education,” said Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s director in the DRC. “The consequences for their future—and the future of the country—are dire.”
As violence escalated, school attendance in North Kivu plummeted, with 17 percent of schools now closed. Some 775 schools have shut down, many repurposed as shelters for displaced families.
In addition to missing education, children in the region face grave dangers. They are at heightened risk of sexual violence and exposure to explosive remnants of war scattered across fields and villages.
The situation in North Kivu has left an entire generation of children without access to education, deepening the region’s instability. Save the Children called for immediate action to protect children and restore their access to education.