Shawdesh Desk:

UN peacekeepers have discovered the bodies of nearly 50 civilians in mass graves in eastern DR Congo, officials said, after a series of attacks blamed on armed groups.

Peacekeepers made the discoveries while patrolling the troubled Ituri province following violent attacks by suspected CODECO militants.

“Our colleagues there report that mass graves containing the bodies of 42 civilians, including 12 women and six children have been discovered in the village of Nyamamba,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

“Another grave with the bodies of seven men was discovered in the village of Mbogi,” Haq added.

Haq called for an investigation that would establish whether the mass graves and the attacks are linked.

“Monusco is supporting the Congolese judicial system to investigate the attacks and calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice,” Haq said, referring to the UN regional peacekeeping operation.

Ituri, a restive province bordering Uganda, has seen a spate of violence in recent weeks, after the killing of a teacher belonging to the Lendu community triggered reprisal attacks from the CODECO militia, which claims to represent the ethnic group.

The Lendu and Hema communities have a longstanding feud that led to thousands of deaths between 1999 and 2003 before an intervention by a European peacekeeping force.

Violence resumed in 2017, blamed on the emergence of the CODECO. The Zaire militia says it represents the Hema community.

Dieudonne Lossa, a human rights activist in Ituri said over 80 civilians have been killed there since early January.

Haq warned of a “significant deterioration of the security situation” in the region, adding that at least 195 civilians have been killed, 68 injured and 84 people abducted during attacks attributed to CODECO and Zaire armed groups.