Mbanza Kongo – At least seven children that had been kidnapped in May by an alleged missionary, who was trying to cross the Luvo border, northern Zaire province, to neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), returned to their families on Tuesday, a month after the abduction.
The children, aged between 10 and 17, were sheltered at the Frei Giorgio Zulianello Center in Mbanza Kongo, and their return to their biological families was facilitated by the National Children's Institute (INAC), as part of the family reunion program.
The children were taken from a foster home in the country's capital (Luanda) by a Congolese democratic citizen, who was allegedly working in that center, being further rescued in the border commune of Luvo, when together with two adults they were heading to DRC using clandestine routes.
Speaking to the press, the head of INAC's provincial service, Rafael Kidiwa, praised the prompt intervention of the Border Guard Police stationed at the Luvo border crossing, which thwarted this attempt to traffic human beings into the neighboring country.
Kidiwa advised parents and guardians to be more vigilant and to prevent their children from having direct contact with strangers.
In Luanda, the parents thanked the local authorities for their work in preventing their children from leaving the country illegally, orchestrated by individuals who are in judicial custody.
Since January, at least nine children living at the Giorgio Zualianello center have been reunited with families, one for Cabinda province, the same number for the DRC and seven for Luanda. DMN/JL/AMP
