UN finds more mass graves in DR Congo

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Democratic Republic of Congo (AA) - UN announced Wednesday that its investigators had discovered an additional 17 mass graves in Congo's central Kasai region, bringing the total number of mass graves documented in DRC up to 40.

On April 4, the UN mission in DRC, MONUSCO announced it had discovered 23 mass graves in the area.

Kasai region, where the graves have been discovered, is an area where government forces have on several occasions clashed with Kamuina Nsapu militiamen.

Villagers, according to the statement, said that they saw army men burying killed Kamuina Nsapu men in the mass graves.

Chaos started in the region last August when a chief called Kamuina Nsapu was killed by police. After the incident, Nsapu's followers started attacking police and government offices.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned about involving the International Criminal Court unless the Congolese government carried out adequate investigations into the killing.

''Should there be no effective national investigations, I will not hesitate to urge the international community to support an investigation by an international mechanism, including the International Criminal Court," he said.

On March 12, two UN workers were kidnapped in the region. Their bodies were discovered two weeks later buried in a shallow grave.