The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) said on Saturday, July 27, that its troops in eastern DR Congo had captured the stronghold of the CODECO, one of the militias accused of atrocities in the conflict-ridden Ituri Province. This comes weeks after the Ugandan army claimed the capture of a key base of another armed group responsible for the death of dozens of schoolchildren in Uganda. ALSO READ: CODECO militia kills 51 civilians in single attack UPDF troops capture CODECO stronghold in Ituri, eastern [DR Congo], Col Chris Magezi, a spokesperson for the Ugandan army, wrote on X on Saturday. For years, the ultra-violent CODECO militia orchestrated horrific ethnic cleansing campaigns in the region with impunity, such as against the neighbouring HEMA people. ALSO READ: DR Congo militia massacre 45 in Ituri The CODECO, whose leaders are under sanctions, has previously been blamed for ethnic killings, in places such as Djugu territory. In February this year, the group was accused of killing at least 51 people in a single attack on a cluster of villages in Ituri. In June 2023, the group was blamed for killing 45 people. The UPDF campaign codenamed Operation ‘Mlinzi wa Wanyonge’ or ‘Operation Protection of the Weak’ has restored hope among the long-suffering communities in that part of Congo. At the height of the militia killings, thousands of Congolese fled to Uganda to seek refuge, said Magezi. The captured town of Djugu was CODECO’s main operational headquarters from where they planned and launched attacks. This is now no more! he claimed. ALSO READ: Ugandan army says it captured ADF base in Ituri Uganda deployed troops to Ituri in 2021, under Operation Shujaa, to hunt down militias like the CODECO and the ADF, an Islamist group also infamous for its atrocities. On July 10, the UPDF said its troops had captured the key camp of the ADF militia leader Musa Baluku's in Apakwang in Ituri. The ADF militia, which originates from Uganda, is one of the sanctioned terrorist groups operating in DR Congo. An attack on a Ugandan school by the Islamic State-affiliated militia killed at least 40 children in June 2023.
