Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo. Two mass graves containing at least 172 bodies have been found in Uvira after the withdrawal of the AFC/M23 rebel group, a senior government official said. Reuters was not able to independently verify the circumstances of the deaths.
Discovery of graves in Uvira
Jean-Jacques Purusi, the Kinshasa-appointed governor of South Kivu province, told local reporters the graves were found in the Kilomoni and Kavimvira neighbourhoods. One grave contained 31 bodies and the other 141, he said in comments made on Tuesday that were recorded and broadcast in the country on Thursday.
A local human rights activist, Mashauri Mwindule, told Reuters more graves had been found in Kabimba, a village 8 km (5 miles) from Uvira.
Rebel group response and verification limits
AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka told Reuters he was unaware of any mass graves during the group’s time in Uvira and accused the government of spreading propaganda to damage its reputation.
Background on fighting and human rights allegations
The rebels briefly captured Uvira, a transit hub on Lake Tanganyika near the Burundian border, in December. They began withdrawing a week later under U.S. pressure, and the Congolese army re-entered the city last month.
Human Rights Watch reported in December that M23 fighters had carried out summary executions in Uvira, with bodies found in several neighbourhoods, including Kavimvira. Human Rights Watch cited residents and a United Nations source.
AFC/M23 did not respond to those allegations at the time but had previously accused the organisation of running a “disinformation campaign” against it. Human Rights Watch also said the Congolese army and allied militia groups committed abuses before the rebels took the city and as they retreated.
AFC/M23 controls swathes of North and South Kivu provinces after a rapid offensive last year in which it seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu.
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