Congo City Residents Fear Disease Outbreak After Mass Graves Discovery

Citizens in Uvira, Congo are worried about potential health hazards after officials discovered 171 bodies in mass burial sites following rebel withdrawal. Local authorities blame M23 rebels for the deaths and have launched an investigation into the killings.

GOMA, Congo — Citizens in the eastern Congo city of Uvira are expressing alarm over possible disease outbreaks after local officials announced the discovery of 171 bodies in mass burial sites left behind by departing M23 rebels.

South-Kivu province Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi announced Thursday that the deceased were located in two separate mass burial sites on the city’s periphery, holding the rebel group responsible for the fatalities.

The Associated Press was unable to confirm these allegations independently. Representatives from M23 have not yet responded to requests for comment.

According to Purusi, the victims will remain unburied until medical investigators finish mandatory examinations, and he emphasized that the locations must remain undisturbed during this period.

Local resident Flavien Kalenga Mutumishi reported Friday that he and other community members found approximately twelve decomposing corpses after the rebels departed and immediately contacted authorities.

Mutumishi expressed worry about public health dangers, noting that one burial site sits within a residential area.

“We found bodies that had been poorly and partially buried in shallow pits,” Mutumishi told the AP by phone. “This poses a great danger to nearby communities.”

A second resident confirmed they had also notified officials about decaying remains in the same location.

“That is why we felt compelled to call in health workers to carry out the work. Unfortunately, they were afraid because there was no covering over the grave,” said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals.

Community advocacy organizations and other locals reported that officials have limited access to the burial sites and prohibited photography.

Purusi confirmed that legal authorities have begun an investigation and called upon the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and regional organizations to conduct their own inquiries.

MONUSCO representative Ndeye Khady Lo stated the mission cannot verify the mass grave reports independently, citing insufficient detailed and confirmed information regarding locations, victim counts, and circumstances.

The governor and local civil society leaders in Uvira claim M23 executed these individuals under suspicion of ties to Congolese military forces or pro-government militia groups.

Human rights organizations have previously accused both Congolese armed forces and M23 of unlawful executions and other violations.

M23 seized Uvira in December during a swift military campaign. Regional officials report more than 1,500 deaths and approximately 300,000 displaced persons resulted from the takeover.

The rebel organization subsequently retreated from the city, characterizing their departure as a “unilateral trust-building measure” requested by the United States to support peace negotiations.

Congo, the United States, and United Nations experts maintain that Rwanda supports M23, which has expanded from several hundred members in 2021 to roughly 6,500 fighters, according to UN estimates.

Over 100 armed organizations compete for territory in mineral-wealthy eastern Congo, located near the Rwandan border, with M23 being the most significant. This conflict has generated one of the globe’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, displacing more than 7 million people according to the UN refugee agency.

Although Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a US-brokered agreement and ongoing talks between rebels and Congo continue, combat persists across multiple areas in eastern Congo, resulting in substantial civilian and military casualties.