CONGOLESE authorities and a civil society group said on Thursday that mass graves were found in part of eastern Congo that the M23 militia has recently withdrawn from.

South-Kivu provincial Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi said authorities found two mass graves with at least 171 dead bodies in the Kiromoni and Kavimvira neighbourhoods 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,” said Mr Purusi.

The M23 did not immediately respond for comment.

The executive secretariat of the Local Network for the Protection of Civilians, a civil society group in the region, said on Thursday it wanted to visit the mass graves but was prevented from doing so by the Congolese military.

Information indicates that the victims were killed by the M23 militia, 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.

The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the United Nations agency for refugees.