Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/militia-attacks-kill-22-east-dr-congo-official-human-rights-group-2023-02-13/
Militiamen in the DRC killed 22 people in two seperate attacks on Feb. 23 2023 in the Ituri province, and a local human rights group reported the attack. The DRC government has put into effect martial law in the region and in the North Kivu province in order to curb the violence in the region. The first attack was in a small town known as Mongbwalu in Djugu territory where 10 people were killed. The Mayor of Mongbwalu claimed the CODECO group was responsible for these attacks which is one of the many militant groups operating in the DRC. The second attack occurred 37 miles away in Irumu territory. The leader of the Convention for the Respect of Human Rights said that 12 people were killed in the second attack by the Allied Democratic Forces which is an east Congo group that has been in the DRC for many decades now and have pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State and have planned out many previous attacks on local villages.
I think it is saddening to know that there are militant groups out there that are wanting to do harm to innocent civilians that are just trying to get by. The DRC has not known peace for many decades and is known to be very violent due to its political, social, and economic stability that has allowed for militant groups to pillage the resources from the land and people that live in the resource-rich DRC. CODECO was founded in the 1970s was once a peaceful agricultural group that turned into an armed group and is an umbrella grouping for the Lendu militias that have been accused of many human rights violations under the United Nations. The group had a ceasefire in 2020, but continued to raid villages back in 2021 and 2022 and continues on until this day. The Hema had been favored over the Lendu during the Belgian colonial era and received more privileges which caused resentment amongst the Lendu people. CODECO is also known for its religious affiliations and has been described as a cult by the UN.
The UN is an international organization that seeks to bring order to the world through mutual cooperation for countries and an open floor to discuss ideas. The UN is also known to do peacekeeping missions throughout the world to bring peace and stability to regions in need, including the DRC. The UN is generally not welcome in the DRC and have been flushed out by many different militant groups in the region. MONUSCO is a UN group that is based in the DRC and has over 18000 troops that try and bring stability to the region in need. Their peacekeeping efforts began in 1999 and have received over 8 billion dollars between then and 2010.