Ex-Child Soldier Nzita Meets Andorra Leader to Promote Child Protection Initiatives

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 morning as part of an international diplomatic tour promoting child protection in armed conflicts.

Nzita, accompanied by NGO president Mounira Van Buel Amdouni, presented two key projects during the brief but significant visit. The World Conference on Youth and Prevention of Child Soldier Recruitment is set for Geneva from October 1 to 3, 2026, aiming to engage 10,000 young people worldwide in building a global culture of peace. The second initiative involves establishing a vocational training center in Mbanza-Ngungu, Democratic Republic of Congo, to support the social and professional reintegration of conflict-affected youth through technical skills and psychosocial care.

The meeting marked the one-year anniversary of the UN's "Prove it matters" campaign, co-sponsored by Andorra and Malta, which Nzita represents. Led by the Office of the Special Representative to the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the campaign raises awareness about protecting children in war zones. Espot and Nzita first met on March 11, 2025, in Geneva at the campaign launch.

Kidnapped at age 12 in 1996 near Goma while heading to study in Kiondo, Nzita was forced to fight for the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo-AFDL for a decade. The group aimed to overthrow Mobutu Sese Seko, succeeding in 1997 and renaming Zaire as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the regime change, Nzita remained conscripted until 2006, when the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration secured his release. Having studied during captivity from 2000, he founded Paix pour l'Enfance in 2010 to aid other vulnerable children. Now in his thirties and based in Canada, he chose advocacy over crime or despair, unlike some former comrades.

Espot hailed Nzita as an example of resilience and commitment to vulnerable children, reaffirming Andorra's longstanding foreign policy focus on the issue, including cooperation with the UN office since its creation. In his September UN General Assembly speech, Espot called Nzita's story a "striking experience" that demands reaction in a world of progress marred by child suffering in conflicts, questioning why 21st-century disputes still rely on firepower and missiles.

Nzita expressed gratitude for Andorra's support, highlighting Espot's UN remarks as having a "very positive impact among young people." He later met Foreign Affairs Minister Imma Tor and her team to discuss technical cooperation and strengthen international partnerships.