17 mass graves discovered in DRC

UN INVESTIGATORS have found 17 new mass grave sites in central Congo and gathered reports of rapes and killings by soldiers that the International Criminal Court should investigate if the government fails to, the UN rights chief said yesterday.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government – which regularly denies allegations of abuses by its soldiers – said it would investigate the reports once it saw the evidence.

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said he had reports Congolese soldiers had dug the graves after clashes with the Kamuina Nsapu militia in Kasai in March. “At least 74 people, including 30 children, were reported to have been killed by soldiers,” in the clashes, he said, without giving sources of his information.

During a separate incident in the provincial capital of Kananga last month, soldiers were reported to have shot dead at least 40 people and raped women and girls, Zeid said.

Most victims were killed in their homes as soldiers went door to door looking for militia members, he added.

“It is absolutely vital the government… takes meaningful steps to ensure that there is (an)… independent investigation.” Reuters