MILITIAS fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are recruiting child soldiers and raping hundreds of children, UN children’s fund Unicef said today.

“In the North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” Unicef executive director Catherine Russell said.

“One mother recounted to our staff how her six daughters, the youngest just 12 years old, were systematically raped by armed men while searching for food.”