The United Nations says mass graves containing 49 bodies have been discovered in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, attributing the killings to an ethnic militia group.
Forty-two bodies, including 12 women and 6 children, were found buried in the village of Nyamamba, in Ituri Province. The bodies of 7 men were found in the village of Mbogi, about 30km east of the provincial capital Bunia, the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, said in a tweet.
The Peacekeeping Mission says, “MONUSCO strongly condemns these barbaric and cowardly killings attributed to The Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO).”
La #MONUSCO a facilité la libération de 13 otages capturés par une milice en #Ituri.
Cette action rentre dans le cadre de son mandat de protéger les civils sous menace des groupes armés en #RDC.
Elle est le fruit du partenariat entre la MONUSCO et le gouvernement provincial.👇 pic.twitter.com/cCosHruSlO— MONUSCO (@MONUSCO) January 6, 2023
It adds that peacekeepers had launched a patrol in the area over the weekend after hearing about the attacks.
Our mission @MONUSCO reports that CODECO militia carried out a series of attacks over the weekend, killing at least 18 civilians and displacing thousands more. MONUSCO is now conducting new patrols in the Roe-Drodro area in Ituri, #DRC 🇨🇩 to restore stability. #A4P pic.twitter.com/LqnZvLCQS8
— UN Peacekeeping (@UNPeacekeeping) January 11, 2023
CODECO is one of dozens of militias operating in eastern Congo. Its ranks are drawn mainly from the ethnic Lendu farming community, which carries out regular attacks on Hema herders in Ituri Province.
CODECO, which is split into factions and operates in remote areas, does not have a spokesperson and could not be reached for comment.
At least 195 civilians were killed and 84 kidnapped in attacks attributed to CODECO and a rival militia called Zaire since the start of December, increasing the number of displaced people in Ituri province to more than 1.5 million, the UN mission says.
Congo’s government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
