DRC: new outbreak of violence in Ituri

Monusco peacekeepers patrol the streets of Djugu territory, in the province of Ituri, at the center of intercommunal violence, on March 13, 2020. SAMIR TOUNSI / AFP

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The Joint United Nations Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) reported this week an increase in cases of human rights violations in Ituri province. As in the previous month, armed groups are the main culprits for the documented violations. Military reinforcements have been sent to this province under threat of several types.

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With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi

One of the main threats comes from the territory of Aru. Since April, at least seven incursions by the South Sudanese army have been recorded by the Armed Forces of the DRC. Officially, the South Sudanese soldiers chase the rebels of this country on Congolese territory. Scenes of looting and burning of houses have been reported by several sources in this area.

A military reinforcement arrived at Aru with the aim of erecting a shield along the border. In this regard, the Defense Committee of the National Assembly recommended this week to the government to strengthen the deterrent capacity of the FARDC by the creation of a special unit responsible for border protection.

In Irumu territory, mixed operations have been carried out with soldiers installed in the neighboring province of North Kivu for a week, with the aim of fighting against the activism of local Mayi-Mayi militiamen. The other challenge remains the repeated incursions of ADF combatants from the Beni territory. There are also the territories of Mahagi and Djugu, where the army faces the various attacks against civilians carried out by the militiamen of CODECO.

Besides military action, the government is counting on awareness-raising to demobilize local combatants. A delegation of former rebel leaders, officers from Ituri, arrived this week to speed up the process.

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