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Some 2000 bodies discovered in Two mass graves in Congo
(SomaliNet) As many as 2,000 bodies have been discovered in eastern Congo in two mass graves, government officials said on Wednesday. The graves were found on Saturday in the town of Bukavu in a plot of land formerly owned by a member of the Congolese Rally for Democracy, or RCD, a Rwandan-backed rebel group, Congo's Justice Minister Luzolo Bambi told reporters. The RCD at one point, controlled much of eastern Congo, but it became a political party in 2003. Many of its top leaders were integrated into the government, taking jobs as vice-presidents and army chiefs. Constantin Charhondangwa, the head of civil society in the Bukavu region, said the parcel of land owned by the ex-rebel was sold to a resident. The new landowner discovered the remains when he dug up the land put in a septic tank, Charhondangwa said. Bambi and state-run TV said as many as 2,000 people are buried in the twin graves. UN officials visited the site and confirmed the presence of the mass graves but did not offer an estimate of the number of dead. Madnodje Mounoubai, a spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, said the world body is calling for authorities to undertake "a serious investigation." The discovery comes as eastern Congo has once again come to the brink of war, with a different rebel group fighting government forces. Bukavu has not been touched by the latest round of violence, but has been a frequent theatre of war. It is located 100 kilometres south-east of Goma, the epicentre of the latest fighting. Posted by: Fred 2008-11-28 |
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