| Nyamamba and Mbogi mass graves | |
|---|---|
| Part ofIturi conflict | |
| Location | Nyamamba and Mbogi,Ituri province,Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Date | January 14–15, 2023 |
| Deaths | 49 killed
|
| Perpetrator | CODECO (perMONUSCO) Zaire-FPAC (per CODECO) |
| Motive | Killing of a Lendu schoolteacher |
On January 19, 2023, theUnited Nations investigators discovered the bodies of forty-two civilians in the village of Nyamamba,Ituri Province,Democratic Republic of the Congo, and seven bodies in the village of Mbogi, in the same province. The victims were killed over the weekend by suspectedCODECO between January 14 and 15.
CODECO is a loose-knit alliance ofLendu militias in Ituri province, that has been fighting against the Congolese government and Hema militias since the start of theIturi conflict.[1] In February 2022, the group killed dozens of civilians in a refugee camp inPlaine Savo.[1] Between December 2022 and the start of the Nyamamba attacks, over a hundred civilians had been killed in Ituri.[2]
In mid-January, CODECO sought revenge for an attack on a Lendu teacher by the newly establishedZaire militia, a rival to CODECO.[3][4]
Reports emerged of attacks by CODECO on villages nearBunia during the weekend of January 14–15, 2023, promptingMONUSCO to dispatch a patrol to the area.[3] When the peacekeepers arrived at the village of Nyabamba, they discovered the recently buried bodies of forty-two civilians.[5] Seven civilians were buried in the village of Mbogi, located thirty kilometers away.[5][6] In the Nyabamba graves, twelve women and six children were among the victims.[5] The Mbogi graves consisted of seven men.[6]
Protests erupted across Ituri against MONUSCO following the attacks, as civilians saw the peacekeepers as not protecting them from CODECO.[7] In Goma, demonstrators protested against theEast African Command for their inability to defend civilians against CODECO as well.[8] In Bunia, the city protested by holding a "dead city" for three days.[8] CODECO accused Zaire-FPAC of the massacres.[3]
On January 20, CODECO attacked the Plaine Savo camp and killed seven people, including five children.[1] Refugees in the camp then protested at the nearby MONUSCO base.[1]