Thursday, soldiers from the UN reported discovering mass graves in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that contained 49 victims. The deaths were attributed to an ethnic militia.
In settlement of Nyamamba in the province of Ituri, 42 dead were found. There were twelve women and six young children in this group.
Seven men's bones were found in the village of Mbogi, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) east of the provincial capital Bunia, according to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), according to a tweet from the organisation.
Peacekeepers responded to reports of attacks over the weekend by launching a patrol in the area. The statement said, “MONUSCO strongly condemns these barbaric and cowardly killings attributed to CODECO.”
There are dozens of militias in eastern Congo, and CODECO is just one of them. Most of its members are farmers of the Lendu ethnicity who have regularly attacked 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 have been killed and 84 kidnapped since the beginning of December, according to the U.N. mission, with attacks blamed on CODECO and a rival militia known as Zaire. This has caused almost 1.5 million people to flee their homes in Ituri province.
When asked for a response, the Congolese government’s spokesman did not immediately react.