In Djugu territory, Ituri province, the situation is still tense. In December, the number of attacks attributed to Codeco militia increases and the population demands a strengthening of the security system. In some areas it leaves the villages and approaches the Monusco bases. As in Roe, about 70 km from Bunia, where almost 30,000 displaced people gathered near a peacekeeping position.
Charlotte is 42 years old. Since June, she has joined the makeshift camp for displaced people around the temporary base for the UN mission in Congo (Monusco) in Roe: “Our house was set on fire. Many people were killed, others were injured. There was no longer any security. That is what we are here for, she explains.
Julienne does not even dare to leave the camp. It is very dangerous, she said: “These people we call attackers are armed. They make our lives difficult. They rape us. While I’m talking to you, some of my friends are in the hospital, she says.
“Today we no longer need peace”
When these militias, which claim to be part of the Congolese (Codeco) militia development cooperative, do not kill, they are disbanded. Nestor is a survivor: “On one road they established themselves and they set up obstacles to raise money. And when you do not have one, they take you down and pick up what you have, and you go naked. Today we no longer need peace. This is what we need, peace. ”
In this zone, the population expects more from the regular army and asks MONUSCO to increase patrols.
Last Thursday, the UN Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, had gone to Roe to assess the situation.
