Fifteen Congolese soldiers killed in an attack by the CODECO militia in Djugu

MADRID, 29 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Fifteen soldiers of the Military Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo died this weekend in Djugu, in the province of Ituri, due to an attack attributed to the armed group Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO).

The soldiers were ambushed in the city of Djugu, in the province of Ituri, northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during which seven militiamen also lost their lives, and it is the first time that the Army has suffered such a significant casualty since it the province is under siege, as several higher-ranking soldiers died.

As reported by the RFI channel, the military were participating in combat patrols in the region and were heading to reinforce a position that had been attacked hours before by CODECO militiamen when they were surprised by their fire from the top of the surrounding hills. the national highway number 27, about 50 kilometers north of Bunia.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, Bintou Keita, has condemned the attack and is "appalled by the high price that the Congolese people and security forces continue to pay" for the activity of armed groups in the region. .

Since the beginning of the month, attacks by Congolese militias have increased. Last week, the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reported the attack by CODECO against a refugee camp in Savo, in the province of Ituri, which has left seven fatalities. In fact, this attack was produced after the bodies of more than fifty civilians were discovered in various mass graves in Ituri, after several attacks perpetrated that weekend.