For years, the people of Bule, a town in Fataki, Ituri province, lived in fear—abandoned by the world and left to the mercy of ruthless CODECO rebels, who carried out brutal massacres, looted homes, and forced families into hiding.
But today, their despair turned to joy as Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers entered their town, greeted by chants of “Karibu!” a Swahili word for Welcome! from villagers who had long given up hope of rescue.
“We were forgotten—no government, no UN, no one cared,” said a community leader who lost family members in recent rebel attacks.
“When we saw the UPDF coming, we knew God had answered our prayers. They are the only ones who came to save us.”
Bule’s liberation is part of the expanding Operation Shujaa, a joint UPDF-FARDC offensive targeting ADF and CODECO militants in eastern DRC.
Wherever UPDF forces have advanced—from Bunia to Mahagi—exhausted civilians have welcomed them with relief, desperate for an end to rebel atrocities.
For long, CODECO militias—an armed group posing as a "cooperative" but known for ethnic violence—terrorized Bule’s residents, burning homes, abducting children, and slaughtering those who resisted.
Several residents said they buried their loved ones in silence, with no help from anyone.
The rebels took everything from the communities, leaving the helpless inhabitants to sleep in the bush like animals.
As the UPDF secures Bule and nearby areas, the local population is optimistic about lasting peace.
