Armed conflict in the DRC involving the national army and a range of Congolese and foreign armed groups has continued mostly in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu since the war officially ended in 2002. All fighting forces have unlawfully recruited boys and girls and have used them in hostilities including, although not only, as fighters.
A resurgence of violence in Congo reached a pinnacle this week as M23 rebel fighters seized Goma and a nearby international airport, increasing widespread concerns amongst humanitarian organizations that some of those fighting on the front lines are child soldiers.
Angelina Jolie is meeting with women and girls in eastern Congo, where sexual violence is rampant. Jolie, a special envoy for the UN refugee agency, traveled to the Nzulo camp near Goma on Monday along with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.