Former Child Soldier Nzita Meets Andorra Leader on Child Protection Anniversary

Junior Nzita Nsuami, the Congolese activist and former child soldier who founded Paix pour l'Enfance, met Andorra's Head of Government Xavier Espot on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the UN's "Prove it matters" campaign, co-sponsored by Andorra and Malta.

During the short visit, Nzita—accompanied by NGO president Mounira Van Buel Amdouni—outlined two projects. The first is the World Conference on Youth and Prevention of Child Soldier Recruitment, scheduled for Geneva from October 1 to 3, 2026, with the goal of involving 10,000 young people globally to foster a culture of peace. The second is a vocational training center in Mbanza-Ngungu, Democratic Republic of Congo, focused on the social and professional reintegration of youth impacted by armed conflicts through technical training and psychosocial support.

The encounter formed part of Nzita's international diplomatic tour to advance child protection in war zones. Espot and Nzita had previously met on March 11, 2025, in Geneva at the campaign's launch, led by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. Espot praised Nzita's personal account as a model of resilience and dedication to at-risk children, underscoring Andorra's enduring foreign policy emphasis on the issue, including long-term collaboration with the UN office.

In his September address to the UN General Assembly, Espot described Nzita's experience—kidnapped at age 12 in 1996 near Goma by fighters from the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo-AFDL, and forced to serve for a decade—as a stark reminder amid modern progress that children still endure war's horrors. Born in 1984, Nzita studied secretly during captivity from 2000 and established Paix pour l'Enfance in 2010 after his 2006 release via the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration. Now based in Canada in his late thirties, he has pursued advocacy to prevent others from facing similar trauma, in contrast to paths taken by some former comrades.

Nzita thanked Andorra for its backing, noting Espot's UN speech had a strong positive effect on youth. He later held discussions with Foreign Affairs Minister Imma Tor and her team on technical cooperation and expanding global partnerships.