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UN: December massacre in Congo left 535 people dead
Source: Associated Press
UN: December massacre in Congo left 535 people dead
By KRISTA LARSON
March 12, 2019
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Intercommunal violence that left at 535 people dead in western Congo may amount to crimes against humanity, according to a report by United Nations investigators released on Tuesday that cited witnesses saying village chiefs helped plan the violence.
The massacre took place over three days in December, not long before the country’s long-delayed presidential election. Violence erupted in Yumbi between the Banunu and Batende communities after a dispute over a burial for a Banunu customary chief.
The attacks “followed strikingly similar patterns and were characterized by extreme violence and speed, leaving little time for people to escape,” the U.N. said.
Banunu villagers were targeted with weapons including firearms and gasoline, the investigation found.
The death toll is likely to be higher because victims’ bodies are believed to have been dumped in the nearby Congo River, the U.N. said.
-snip-
By KRISTA LARSON
March 12, 2019
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Intercommunal violence that left at 535 people dead in western Congo may amount to crimes against humanity, according to a report by United Nations investigators released on Tuesday that cited witnesses saying village chiefs helped plan the violence.
The massacre took place over three days in December, not long before the country’s long-delayed presidential election. Violence erupted in Yumbi between the Banunu and Batende communities after a dispute over a burial for a Banunu customary chief.
The attacks “followed strikingly similar patterns and were characterized by extreme violence and speed, leaving little time for people to escape,” the U.N. said.
Banunu villagers were targeted with weapons including firearms and gasoline, the investigation found.
The death toll is likely to be higher because victims’ bodies are believed to have been dumped in the nearby Congo River, the U.N. said.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/bb88562a3a904a7283def17e430659d5