Washington condemns violence against millions of children in DRC at un security council

The United States has again demanded stronger safeguards for children trapped in armed conflicts, shining a spotlight on the dire situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The appeal came during the 10,182nd session of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to children and armed conflict worldwide.

Speaking on behalf of the U.S. government, Ambassador Jennifer Locetta, alternate representative for special political affairs at the U.S. Mission to the UN, stressed that children continue to bear the heaviest toll of wars raging in various parts of the globe.

“No child should ever be denied safety,” the diplomat declared, echoing a message previously delivered by former First Lady Melania Trump during a Security Council meeting in March. On that occasion, she had highlighted the devastating impact of international conflicts on children.

DRC among top concerns

During her address, Jennifer Locetta singled out the Democratic Republic of the Congo as one of the countries where violations of children’s rights remain exceptionally severe. The United States condemned these abuses, stating that Congolese children continue to be the primary victims of ongoing clashes between armed groups in the eastern part of the country.

“In conflict zones around the world, children face numerous threats. In Sudan, there are reports of children driven from their homes, separated from families, and subjected to sexual violence. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, millions of children endure the threat of violence, forced displacement, and conflict‑related sexual violence perpetrated by various armed groups. We strongly condemn these acts of violence, and under the Trump administration, the United States continues to make peace a priority,” she stated in her speech on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

Children as primary casualties

The U.S. ambassador emphasized that children are not merely collateral damage in wars but are often deliberately targeted. According to her, conflicts also undermine their access to safe, quality education, fueling a vicious cycle of poverty, instability, and violence that persists across generations.

“Too often, conflicts deprive children of reliable and safe education, cutting off their path to the future and jeopardizing their prospects. As everyone knows, this creates a cycle of poverty and instability that passes from one generation to the next, fueling further conflict and undermining global stability and economic prosperity. Everywhere in the world, children deserve to feel safe, to be educated, and to have a future. By taking steps to protect them, we safeguard our collective future and help put an end to protracted conflicts,” she noted in her address.

Criticism of the UN report

The American diplomat also took issue with the latest report of the UN Secretary‑General on children and armed conflict, arguing that it does not advance the protection of children in war zones.

According to Jennifer Locetta, “the latest report of the UN Secretary‑General on children and armed conflict does not bring us closer to that goal.” She claimed the document offers “a flawed view of harm to civilians under the laws of war,” asserting that “the deliberate killing of children by the Houthis or other malicious armed groups is a grave violation; the accidental killing of civilians by a state’s armed forces is not.”

For the U.S. representative, this report once again illustrates “how the UN spends time and resources on initiatives that are incompatible with the interests and sovereignty of member states.”

“This report only reinforces the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. It further damages that office’s credibility by wrongly equating the actions of U.S. armed forces with those of Houthi terrorists. Protecting children remains a priority for the United States. We continue to call for concrete measures to prevent children from being involved in armed conflict. Publishing politicized and inaccurate reports will not achieve those goals,” she declared.

A call for international action

Beyond the DRC, the United States also referenced situations in Sudan, Ukraine, and Haiti, urging all parties to conflicts to better shield children from violence, forced displacement, and grave rights violations. For Washington, child protection remains a critical issue for fostering long‑term peace and stability in regions affected by armed conflict.

The impact of the conflict on children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo manifests primarily through six grave violations: recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence committed against them, attacks on schools, hospitals, and related protected persons, abduction of children, and denial of humanitarian access.

While the situation was already alarming, it has further deteriorated with the resurgence of the AFC/M23 rebellion, backed by Rwanda, which currently occupies large swaths of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, despite diplomatic initiatives led by the United States, Qatar, and the African Union.