U.N. experts’ bodies thought to be found

DAKAR, Senegal — Three bodies, including those of a male and female Caucasian, have been found in Congo’s Central Kasai province and are suspected to be those of U.N. experts who disappeared there two weeks ago with colleagues, the government said Tuesday.

Congolese spokesman Lambert Mende told Top Congo FM that the bodies were found Monday but did not confirm whether they were those of Michael Sharp of the United States and Zaida Catalan of Sweden.

“To our knowledge, there are no other foreigners who have disappeared in this region,” Mende said, adding that the provincial commissioner was on his way to recover and identify the bodies of two Caucasians and a Congolese.

A United Nations spokesman in New York said the U.N. was analyzing the remains and could not yet confirm the identities of the dead.

Sharp, Catalan, interpreter Betu Tshintela, driver Isaac Kabuayi and two motorbike drivers disappeared March 12 in Central Kasai while looking into recent large-scale violence and alleged human-rights violations by the Congolese army and area militia groups.