Article :
On the night of Sunday June 12, an attack by militiamen from the CODECO group claimed the lives of at least 40 people in the camp for displaced persons in Lala, in the province of Ituri, in the DRC. According to the head of the Bahema Badjere chiefdom, Richard Dheda Kondo, this toll could increase further, as several people are still missing.
This is not the first attack by CODECO militiamen against IDP camps in the DRC. Last January, the site for displaced people in the Savo plain was attacked, killing at least 10 people, and last May, three displaced people living on the site for displaced people in Rhoe were beheaded. Fourteen civilians had also lost their lives during an attack by CODECO militiamen on the camp for displaced people in Lodda.
The military authorities in the region have not yet commented on these repeated attacks. This situation of insecurity continues to persist in the Ituri region, and acts of violence appear to be a growing threat to the inhabitants of this region of the DRC.
However, signs of hope are also appearing, such as the successful reintroduction of an endangered species in the Tshopo province, thanks to an ambitious conservation program. The Garamba Faunal Reserve has also successfully welcomed the arrival of white rhinos to save the species.
It is important to continue efforts to improve security in the Ituri region, and also to continue to put in place nature conservation programs, to protect the country’s rich fauna and flora.