Key figures
Who is fighting
CODECO (Lendu militias)
- CODECO factions (URDPC, ALC, others)
Zaire / Convention for the Popular Revolution (Hema militias)
- Zaire militia (CRP)
DRC government and partners
- FARDC
- Uganda People's Defence Force
- MONUSCO
- Uganda
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
The Hema-Lendu conflict in Ituri killed tens of thousands in 1999-2003 and produced the ICC's first convictions. Violence resumed in December 2017 and crystallised around CODECO (Cooperative for the Development of Congo), a Lendu militia-cum-sect, and the Hema 'Zaire' self-defence militia, later renamed the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP). Attacks concentrate on displacement sites and gold-mining areas around Djugu.
A state of siege declared in 2021 and joint Congolese-Ugandan operations (which in March 2025 reportedly killed 242 CODECO fighters) have not ended the killings. In 2026 CODECO attacked Mbaa, Dhendro and Gokpa (11 March, 16 killed), several villages near Pimbo after a CRP assault on army positions (28 April, at least 69 killed) and Maze near Drodro (9 October, 11 killed). MONUSCO, which is drawing down elsewhere, still shelters civilians at its Drodro base.
Recent developments
- 9 October 2026Eleven civilians killed in a dawn CODECO attack on Maze; about 100 people shelter at the MONUSCO base in Drodro. source ↗
- 28 April 2026AFP: at least 69 killed in CODECO attacks on several villages in Djugu; civil society puts the toll above 70. source ↗
- 11 March 2026About 16 killed, including seven children, in coordinated CODECO attacks after three months of calm. source ↗
Timeline
- 1 June 1999Ituri war between Hema and Lendu militias begins; tens of thousands killed by 2003.
- 1 December 2017Violence resumes in Djugu territory; CODECO emerges as the main Lendu armed group.
- 6 May 2021State of siege declared in Ituri and North Kivu.
- 10 February 2025CODECO kills at least 52 civilians in one night at Laudjo, Lindu and Lodja.
- 22 March 2025UPDF claims 242 CODECO militants killed in a two-day battle.
- 11 March 2026Simultaneous CODECO attacks on Mbaa, Dhendro and Gokpa kill about 16.
- 28 April 2026CODECO attacks villages near Pimbo after a CRP assault on army positions; at least 69 killed.
- 9 October 2026CODECO attack on Maze village kills 11, mostly women and elderly returnees.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | – | – | No cumulative count since 2017; UN reporting has documented thousands of civilian deaths in Djugu and Mahagi. fr.allafrica.com ↗ |
| Combatants killed | – | – | Not published. fr.allafrica.com ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 96 | – | Sum of three documented CODECO attacks in March, April and October 2026 only. fr.allafrica.com ↗ |
| Wounded | – | – | Not recorded. fr.allafrica.com ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 96 | – | Documented civilian deaths in three CODECO attacks (March-October 2026); excludes fighters and unreported incidents. fr.allafrica.com ↗ |
| Internally displaced | – | – | Ituri province hosts well over a million IDPs from all conflicts; no CODECO-specific figure. data.unhcr.org ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Not separately recorded. data.unhcr.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Documented CODECO attacks in Djugu territory in the last 12 months killed at least 96 civilians (16 on 11 March 2026, 69+ on 28 April 2026, 11 on 9 October 2026); UPDF claimed 242 CODECO fighters killed in March 2025. The real toll is almost certainly higher but no aggregate exists..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Ituri militia conflict (CODECO and Zaire/CRP militias, DR Congo)?
CODECO (Lendu militias) (CODECO factions (URDPC, ALC, others)); against Zaire / Convention for the Popular Revolution (Hema militias) (Zaire militia (CRP)); against DRC government and partners (FARDC, Uganda People's Defence Force, MONUSCO), supported by Uganda.
Is the Ituri militia conflict (CODECO and Zaire/CRP militias, DR Congo) still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — Militias drawn from the Lendu (CODECO) and Hema (Zaire, now CRP) communities fight each other and the army in Ituri's Djugu and Mahagi territories, with CODECO responsible for repeated massacres of displaced civilians. Attacks continued through 2026, including 69 killed on 28 April and 11 at Maze village on 9 October, despite Ugandan and Congolese operations.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 1 December 2017, but the underlying conflict dates back to 1999 — 8 years, 10 months ago.
Sources
- Radio Okapi via AllAfrica — Maze attack (Oct 2026) fr.allafrica.com
- AFP via Ahram — Militia kill at least 69 (April 2026) english.ahram.org.eg
- Radio Okapi via AllAfrica — Djugu attacks (March 2026) fr.allafrica.com
- UNHCR — DRC data portal data.unhcr.org
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