Leaders of the
CODECO armed group fighting the Democratic Republic of Congo government are to
apologize to the Ugandan Army Chief of Staff, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for
attacks the group carried out on its troops in Ituri province.
A delegation of
CODECO leaders, including the Vice President of the Lendu ethnic group in
eastern DRC, Dunji Kulukpa Etienne, travelled to Kampala last week,
Chimpreports reported.
They were
received by the Ugandan Army Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, and the
Commander of the 4th Army Division, Gen Maj Felix Busizoori, before meeting Gen
Muhoozi.
In early March
2025, CODECO fighters attacked Ugandan troops who were carrying out peace and
security operations in the Fataki area of Djugu territory.
Ugandan Colonel
David Byaruhanga died in the fighting, reportedly after an RPG went off. The
Ugandan military also said it had killed more than 240 CODECO fighters.
The Ugandan
troops moved into Fataki after Gen Muhoozi warned the Lendu-based CODECO that
if they did not stop killing Congolese, including Abahima, they would be
attacked.
At a meeting of
the group’s representatives and senior Ugandan officers, Gen Muhoozi said that
the groups operating in the area should lay down their arms and contribute to
the security of the population.
Gen Muhoozi said,
“Uganda has always supported peace and security in eastern DRC. We call on all
groups to stop violence and work with us to protect the security of the
population.”
Dunji explained
that when CODECO launched attacks on Ugandan troops, he was misled by
criminals, explaining that the Lendu have no problem with these forces.
He said, “We were
misled by the criminal forces to fight the UPDF presence in Fataki. We regret
what happened, and we reiterate that the Lendu, Abahima and Abelega have no
problem with Uganda or its troops.”
The Ugandan
military has been involved in peace and security operations in eastern DRC
since November 2021. They began fighting the ADF terrorist group, revising this
mission when it became apparent that CODECO was continuing to kill many
civilians.
