The United Nations received reports of massacres in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, that suggest that hundreds of civilians have been slaughtered.
Commenting on the allegations, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, noted that the allegations still had to be verified, but said,
“the preliminary findings suggest that a significant number of people-most of them women and children-were slaughtered. The sheer viciousness of these murders is beyond comprehension. In some cases, the attacks against civilians may constitute crimes against humanity.”
The UN has sent four fact finding missions to investigate reports of mass killings in the conflict ridden eastern province of North Kivu since the beginning of August. The UN has interviewed dozens of victims and documented more than 45 attacks in over 30 villages and towns.
The special representative for DR Congo, Roger Meece, outlined the cause of violence to be the army mutiny that occurred in April. The mutineers formed an armed group called the M23 mutiny which is responsible for “often carrying out brutal attacks against civilians”.
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