KAMPALA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Military leaders from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have called on local armed groups operating in the volatile eastern DRC to surrender and join the DRC government's disarmament program.

Chris Magezi, acting spokesperson for the Uganda Peoples' Defense Forces (UPDF), said in a statement issued Sunday that commanders have urged armed militias to embrace the DRC government's disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and stabilization program. He warned that militias refusing to surrender will be targeted.

The appeal followed a two-day bilateral coordination and evaluation meeting between senior military commanders from the UPDF and their DRC counterparts. The meeting, held in Bunia, capital city of Ituri Province in the DRC, from March 27 to 28, was part of the joint military operation, known as "Operation Shujaa," against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.

The Ugandan military delegation was led by Kayanja Muhanga, commander of land forces of the UPDF, while the Congolese delegation was headed by Jacques Nduru, deputy chief of general staff for operations and intelligence.

Last week, the Ugandan military announced that it had killed 242 armed Lendu militants from the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), a group reportedly allied with the ADF.

Uganda deployed troops to Ituri Province several weeks ago to curb attacks by Lendu militants under CODECO and other armed groups. The mission also aims to prevent ADF infiltration.

The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State in Central Africa, has long operated in the eastern DRC. Enditem

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