UN Mission Discover 49 Bodies in Mass Graves After Militia Attacks in Northeastern DRC
The civilian protection section of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) patrol during a security mission in Kitshanga, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 11, 2022. 
InternationalIndiaAfricaMuhammad OsmanOver the past year, the eastern and the northeastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been scenes of ongoing armed conflicts and terrorist attacks conducted by various militia and armed movements. Hundreds of civilians have been killed as a result of armed attacks, while millions others have been displaced.At least 49 bodies have been found in a mass grave in two villages in Ituri province, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations has revealed.The discovery followed a series of attacks on the villages carried out over the weekend by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) militia, which is active in the Djugu territory of Ituri province.“Peacekeepers launched a patrol to the area immediately after receiving reports of attacks on civilians by the CODECO militias over the weekend. This is when they made the gruesome discoveries,” UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York, US.The UN representative pointed out that 42 of the bodies, including 12 women and six children, were found in a mass grave in the village of Nyamamba in Ituri province, while seven others were found in the neighboring village of Mbogi.Haq added that these incidents took place “amidst a significant deterioration of the security situation” in Djugu and Mahagi territories.According to the Congolese authorities, the militants responsible for the attack, the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, also kidnapped a number of women during their attack on the two villages.The attacks came a few months after seven CODECO factions announced a halt to violence against civilians in Ituri province, which is located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) east of the provincial capital, Bunia. The attacks also mark the gradual resumption of CODECO activities in the region.Since December 2022, nearly 200 people are believed to have been killed during attacks conducted by CODECO and other militias in Ituri province. The UN peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo said that more than 1.5 million people in the northeastern DRC province had been displaced because of the fighting.
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