CODECO Militia: Tribal Violence in DRC

‘Coopérative pour le développement du Congo’ (CODECO) is a coalition of militias operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). CODECO is made up of several thousand men claiming to protect the Lendu tribe against a rival tribe, Hema (source). The previous conflict between the communities lasted from 1999 to 2003 and caused thousands of deaths. The conflict subsequently resumed at the end of 2017 and has been ongoing. The UN Peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, has also condemned the violence perpetrated by CODECO members. MONUSCO has called on the group to disarm immediately (source).