Dozens of bodies found in mass graves
Peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have discovered common pits containing the bodies of 49 civilians following a series of attacks attributed to a local armed group.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the united nationss, he told reporters in NY on Wednesday that the graves had been discovered in two villages in the northeastern province of Ituri, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of the city of Bunia.
50 corpses of civilians were found
The events occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
A total of 42 victims, including six children, were discovered in a mass grave in Nyamamba village, while the bodies of another seven men were found in another village, Mbogi, it said.
“The peacekeepers launched a patrol to the area immediately after receiving reports of attacks against civilians by CODECO militias over the weekend. That’s when they made the shocking discoveries,” he said, referring to the armed group known as the Congo Development Cooperative.
Haq said the UN was calling for an investigation that would establish whether the mass graves and the attacks were linked.
He added that the regional UN peacekeeping operation, known as MONUSCO, was “supporting the Congolese judicial system to investigate the attacks” and called “for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.”
UN discovers mass graves with almost 50 bodies in Congo
The Lendu and Hema communities have a longstanding dispute, which led to thousands of deaths between 1999 and 2003 before the intervention of a European peacekeeping force.
Haq warned Wednesday of a “significant deterioration in the security situation” in Ituri, saying at least 195 civilians have been killed, 68 wounded and 84 people kidnapped since December during attacks blamed on CODECO and Zaire militias.
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