Fresh mass graves identified
Publish date: 10 April 2017
Issue Number: 721
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: DRC
The UN said it has found 13 mass graves in the DRC's central Kasai province since the beginning of March. This brings the number discovered since last August to 23. The UN has been unable to examine the mass graves and cannot say if they were recently dug. BBC News reports that it estimates that more than 400 people, including women and children, have been killed in clashes between the army and a rebel group. Jose Maria Aranaz, the director of the UN's joint human rights office, said ‘a transparent independent investigation’ must be held to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. Late last month, two UN experts who investigated reports of abuses in the region were killed.