EASTERN CONGO - With his friends, Trésor (16) strolls through the mining village in the mountains of South Kivu, Congo. They wear golden necklaces and make selfies with their mobile phones. No telephone poles around.

"My father is polygamous", Trésor says. "He sent my mother away. Then we moved to my mother's sister. I took care of the cows in the green fields of Kivu."

One day, the Raïa Mutomboki rebels came. They took the cows, their only possession. "I decided to become a rebel", says Trésor. With a gun he would be able to protect his family.

Trésor was 12 years old when he voluntarily joined the local militias, the Raïa Mutomboki or "angry citizens". Behind the green mountains (of Kivu), the boys have been fighting on the frontline.

Born during a war that has lasted twenty years, they carry names like "Espoir" (hope) and "Amani" (peace). The "angry citizens" fight against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Rwandan rebels who live in Eastern Congo since 1994 after their expulsion following the Rwandan genocide.

...they carry names like "Espoir" (hope) and "Amani" (peace)

Fighting with the Raïa Mutomboki was hard, according to the boys. Every day, the kids had to go on patrol. They had to protect the rebels against their enemies. Trésor says, "At every battle, we had to fight in the front line. We got little to eat and had no say over anything."

The militias chased away the Rwandan rebels who occupied the mines in this area, but the war over minerals carries on. This time, Trésor had to fight against the corrupt Congolese army, the FARDC. It was traumatizing.

"I've seen children and adults die in the bush. Many others are now handicapped, both physically and mentally."

Last year, Trésor decided to flee, running through the woods. By escaping, he risked severe corporal punishment, and possible death at the hands of the rebels. "I ran away in July, after four years of war. I'm happy I'm not a rebel anymore. I don't want to go back, ever."

The boys ask for food. In the local restaurant, a dark, wooden house along a dirt road, we find cooked rice. A laughing, round woman serves steaming plates on the table. Trésor and his friends attack their plates with gusto.

One of them wants to be a hairdresser, another wants to be a fashion designer. Trésor doesn't know yet. Before we say goodbye, we embrace each other. One more selfie and the little rebels stroll through the village again, a grin on their faces.

In 2012, the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize. A part of this money was attributed via the EU Children of Peace initiative to War Child in Eastern Congo.

According to the Unites Nations, more than 10.000 child soldiers have been freed in the past years in DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Every year about 1800 new children are recruited.

Read more about the problem of child soldiers in this article about Ugandan warlord, Dominic Ongwen, who was abducted and forced to join the LRA in northern Uganda.