171 bodies found in mass graves in eastern Congo, an official says
[February 27, 2026]
By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and MARK BANCHEREAU
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congolese authorities and a civil society group
said Thursday that mass graves were found in part of eastern Congo that
the M23 rebel group has recently withdrawn from, as fighting in the
region escalates despite a U.S.-mediated peace deal.
The governor of South-Kivu province, Jean-Jacques Purusi, said
authorities found two mass graves with at least 171 dead bodies in the
Kiromoni and Kavimvira neighborhoods on the outskirts of the eastern
city of Uvira.
“At this stage, we have identified two sites: one mass grave containing
approximately 30 bodies in Kiromoni, not far from the Burundian border
on the Congolese side, and another in Kavimvira where 141 bodies were
found,” Purusi told The Associated Press over the phone.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim. M23’s
spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Executive Secretariat of the Local Network for the Protection of
Civilians, a civil society group in the region, said Thursday it wanted
to visit the mass graves but was prevented from doing so by the
Congolese military.
Information gathered so far indicates that the victims were killed by
M23 rebels, said Yves Ramadhani, the group's vice president.
The governor and the civil society group alleged that the rebels killed
the individuals because they suspected them of belonging to the
Congolese army or a pro-government militia.
Both the Congolese military and M23 have been accused of extrajudicial
killings and abuses by rights groups.
M23 had taken control of Uvira in December following a rapid offensive.
More than 1,500 people were killed and about 300,000 displaced,
according to regional authorities.
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Burundian citizens who work in Uvira, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, and could not cross back into their home country due to
fighting, cross the border into Burundi, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP
Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
The rebel group later announced it would withdraw from the city, in
what it said was a “unilateral trust-building measure” requested by
the U.S. to facilitate the peace process.
Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which
has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters,
according to the U.N.
More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich
eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23.
The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant
humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced,
according to the U.N. agency for refugees.
Despite the signing of a deal between the Congolese and Rwandan
governments brokered by the U.S. and ongoing negotiations between
rebels and Congo, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern
Congo, claiming numerous civilian and military casualties.
___
Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press reporters
Ruth Alonga in Goma, Congo, and Janvier Barhahiga in Bukavu, Congo,
contributed to this report.
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