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DR Congo Becomes 43rd Member of Coalition to Return Ukrainian Children From Russia
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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The Democratic Republic of Congo has joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children as part of President Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a government representative announced during a meeting in Kyiv, according to a statement on the president’s website on August 26.
Representative of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo Chantal Shambu Mwavita met with Daria Herasymchuk, Presidential Adviser on Children’s Rights and Rehabilitation.
Herasymchuk briefed the Congolese delegation on Russia’s mass deportations and forced relocations of Ukrainian children, and presented Ukraine’s efforts to secure their return through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
“Only by uniting global efforts can we effectively counter crimes involving child abduction. Russia kidnaps Ukrainian children, changes their names and documents, imposes foreign identities, and disperses them across remote regions,” she said.
“This is an attempt to erase the national identity of an entire generation. The protection of children knows no borders,” Herasymchuk continued.
Shambu Mwavita confirmed that the Democratic Republic of Congo has begun the process of joining the coalition, which now includes 42 countries and the Council of Europe.
“We share Ukraine’s pain for its children, as children in the Democratic Republic of Congo have suffered from war for 30 years,” she added.
The Congolese delegation, led by Shambu Mwavita, is on a multi-day visit to Ukraine, which included participation in the National Prayer Breakfast.
Previously, it was reported that Russia was pushing the Central African Republic (CAR) to replace the Wagner Group with the Kremlin-controlled “African Corps” and to start paying for its services in cash rather than natural resources, according to Associated Press.
