Congolese authorities and a civil society group have said mass graves containing at least 170 bodies have been found in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in an area recently vacated by the M23 rebel group.
The governor of South Kivu province, Jacques Purusi, said two mass graves were discovered 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," Purusi told The Associated Press.
The Executive Secretariat of the Local Network for the Protection of Civilians, a civil society group in the region, said it wanted to visit the sites but was prevented from doing so by the Congolese military.
Information gathered so far indicates the victims were killed by M23 rebels, said Yves Ramadhani, the group's vice president.
The governor and the civil society group alleged the rebels killed the individuals because they suspected them of belonging to the Congolese army or a pro-government militia.
Fighting in eastern Congo has escalated in recent months despite a US-mediated peace deal aimed at reducing tensions in the region.
Both the Congolese military and the M23 rebel group have faced accusations from rights organisations of extrajudicial killings and other abuses.
The discovery of the graves comes as violence continues to displace civilians and deepen insecurity in eastern Congo, where armed groups have operated for years.
