ADF STAFF
Intelligence, boosted by surveillance and reconnaissance drones, helped United Nations peacekeepers identify and destroy at least eight militia checkpoints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This was part of Operation Tiger Paw launched in mid-May 2024. The U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, said the mission was launched after “meticulous planning” involving DRC troops and local authorities in the Ituri district and residents, defenceWeb reported.
Troops from Bangladesh and Nepal were drafted into the MONUSCO detachment for Tiger Paw. The operation was designed to identify and destroy checkpoints for Codeco, an association of various Lendu militia groups operating within the DRC. The removal of these checkpoints meant “an important axis” connecting a number of villages was opened up, MONUSCO’s Lydie Betyna reported.
On May 21, 2024, DRC troops coordinated with peacekeepers and patrolled Ivo Djugu, Lenga, Gali, Plateau Savo, Lida, Jippi and Pimbo, according to the U.N. “The village of Arr, known as the epicenter of insecurity in the areas, was subject to particular attention by the patrols,” the U.N. noted. “The aim was to map out the area before a robust intervention.”
Soldiers identified the first illegal checkpoint in the direction of Uzi Hill after a cordon and search operation. It was destroyed. After clearing more than 1.5 kilometers near Uzi Hill, the patrol discovered and destroyed a second checkpoint and a third checkpoint manned by Codeco militiamen, who opened fire before being shelled by mortar fire from peacekeepers, the U.N. said.
The patrol moved on to the village of Tchoru, then on to Pitso, where it was joined by a Nepalese patrol. Between the villages of Tchoru and Pitso, the patrol destroyed five other unmanned Codeco checkpoints.