On January 19, 2023, the United 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 suspected CODECO between January 14 and 15.
| Nyamamba and Mbogi mass graves | |
|---|---|
| Part of Ituri conflict | |
| Location | Nyamamba and Mbogi, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Date | January 14–15, 2023 |
| Deaths | 49 killed
|
| Perpetrator | CODECO (per MONUSCO) Zaire-FPAC (per CODECO) |
| Motive | Killing of a Lendu schoolteacher |
Background
CODECO is a loose-knit alliance of Lendu militias in Ituri province, that has been fighting against the Congolese government and Hema militias since the start of the Ituri conflict.[1] In February 2022, the group killed dozens of civilians in a refugee camp in Plaine 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 established Zaire militia, a rival to CODECO.[3][4]
Massacres
Reports emerged of attacks by CODECO on villages near Bunia during the weekend of January 14–15, 2023, prompting MONUSCO 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]
Aftermath
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 the East 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]