The bodies of 49 civilians were discovered in mass graves in northeastern Congo following a weekend attack blamed on a local militia, the UN said Wednesday.
Farhan Haq, the United Nations’ deputy spokesman, told reporters in New York that the graves had been discovered in two villages in Ituri province, about 19 miles (30 kilometres) east of the town of Bunia.
According to Haq, 42 victims, including six children, were discovered in a mass grave in the village of Nyamamba, and the bodies of seven other men were discovered in another village, Mbogi.
“Peacekeepers launched a patrol to the area immediately after receiving reports of attacks on civilians by the CODECO militias over the weekend. This is when they made the gruesome discoveries,” Haq said in New York.
- DRC is accused by Rwanda of inventing a massacre that the UN claims claimed 131 lives.
- In Central African Republic, the UN says “additional efforts” are required (CAR)
Local authorities have said that CODECO — Cooperative for the Development of Congo — militants also abducted a number of women during the attacks on the villages.
Last June, seven CODECO factions announced an end to violence against civilians in Ituri, mainly in the Djugu territory where they were very active. Yet they have gradually resumed attacks in the area.
At least 195 people have been killed since December in a series of attacks blamed on the CODECO militia and other armed groups, the U.N. said. More than 1.5 million people in Ituri province have been displaced by fighting.
