Thanks to an intervention by MONUSCO peacekeepers, alerted and supported by customary authorities, fourteen people who had been taken hostage during an attack by CODECO militiamen in the village of Lidha, Djugu, on March 21, have been released.
This release was made possible by the intensification of MONUSCO’s operations in the area.
For about a week now, six mobile military bases have been deployed in the territories of Djugu and Irumu as part of Operation “Nyundo II” launched on February 1, 2026.
Peacekeepers are conducting daily patrols, both day and night, to prevent attacks and reassure the population amid the persistent insecurity in the region.
Also under Operation “Nyundo II” regular exchanges between local authorities, MONUSCO, and residents are helping to gather critical security information. This approach aims to strengthen trust between the UN mission and local communities while improving the effectiveness of field interventions.
Local stakeholders have welcomed the initiative, which helps ease community tensions often exacerbated in the region by the activity of armed groups.
“We highly commend MONUSCO’s action,” said Eric Zawadi, a member of the local civil society. “There were two adult men and three women, along with children, traveling from the Plaine Savo site toward National Road 27, from where they were supposed to continue to Bunia, when they were abducted by these armed men. They were stripped of all their belongings. Powerless, we no longer knew what to do to find our brothers and children […] We alerted the peacekeepers, and they immediately took action and found the hostages.”
With Operation “Nyundo II” MONUSCO aims to strengthen security and gradually restore stability in these territories heavily affected by armed conflict.
Jean-Tobie Okala
