UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN peacekeepers and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) military have launched an operation against the armed CODECO group in the Djugu territory, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.
"This operation is taking place in the Djugu territory, in the province of Ituri, and comes in response to recent attacks against civilians and the presence of CODECO members in the area," said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The joint operation came on the heels of yet another request from the DRC government for the UN peacekeeping force in the country, known as MONUSCO, to pack up and leave. The latest request came last month from President Felix Tshisekedi, who wants MONUSCO to withdraw by the end of this year.
The reason given is that the peacekeepers are not protecting people targeted by multiple rebel groups.
Dujarric said the most recent reports place CODECO forces near the Lala camp for displaced persons, about 9 km southeast of Djugu. When peacekeepers were deployed, they fired warning shots near CODECO members approaching the site, forcing them to withdraw.
"Peacekeepers are continuing to patrol the area to protect civilians and deter armed groups, including by physical protection to more than 100,000 displaced men, women and children who have been displaced through four temporary bases in the Djugu territory," the spokesman said.
Analysts have argued withdrawing MONUSCO from the DRC will leave a vacuum, making room for rebel groups to move in.
CODECO is an abbreviation for a coalition of armed groups operating in the eastern DRC known as the Cooperative for Development of the Congo or the Congo Economic Development Cooperative. ■
