It stresses that “the trauma that these boys and girls are experiencing is unimaginable” and asks the Government to “increase the protection” of minors
June 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned the attack carried out on Monday by alleged members of the Congo Development Cooperative (CODECO) armed group against a camp for displaced persons in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and It has indicated that among the more than 45 dead there are at least 23 minors.
“Targeting these already vulnerable civilians is beyond despicable,” said UNICEF Representative in DRC Grant Leaity. “The trauma that these boys and girls are experiencing is unimaginable. It is unacceptable that these families, who have already fled their homes, are once again the direct target of violence,” he said.
Those responsible for the assault on the Lala camp also set fire to more than 800 houses and stole cattle, an event that has affected more than 5,000 boys and girls who have lost their fathers or mothers, siblings, homes and possessions, toys and school supplies. , as specified by the international organization.
Likewise, UNICEF has warned that, although the conflict in the province of Ituri has been active since 2017, the situation has deteriorated considerably since the beginning of the year, a period in which armed groups have been behind the deaths of nearly 600 civilians in a series of attacks that have also left more than 200 injured.
The agency has stressed that the lack of safety and protection of children is becoming an increasingly pressing concern, adding that Ituri now ranks second out of the 26 DRC provinces with the highest number of rapes. against children verified by the UN.
“We urge the Government to hold aggressors to account and increase the protection of children and their families,” Leaity stressed. UNICEF is supporting displaced people and host communities in eastern DRC, as well as providing psychological support to injured minors and their families and providing 800 shelters to affected families within 72 hours.
The head of the Baheme Badjere community, Jean-Richard Deddha Kondo, said Monday that most of the displaced people who were in the camp have fled to the town of Bule, located three kilometers away.
CODECO agreed ten days ago to end hostilities in the framework of a dialogue in which various armed groups active in the eastern DRC participated. The armed group is predominantly made up of members of the Lendu community, following an increase in assaults since June 2019 and inter-community clashes between the Lendu and the Hema in Ituri.
