International Court Says Violence in Congo May Amount to War Crimes
By STEVE WEMBIAPRIL 1, 2017
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Recent acts of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the murder of two United Nations researchers
and the discovery of 23 mass graves in the Kasaï region, may constitute war crimes, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Friday.
The statement was released on the same day that the director of the United Nations human rights office in Congo, José Maria Aranaz, said mass
graves had been discovered in Kasaï, where the Kamuina Nsapu militia has clashed with the Congolese Army and the police for several months.
" she said. that There have been reports of violence between local militias
and Congolese forces, the killing of many civilians and noncivilians, kidnappings and summary executions of persons, including U.N. experts on mission and their accompanying persons,
On Tuesday night, the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, confirmed
that the bodies of the two United Nation researchers — Michael Sharp, an American; and Zaida Catalan, a Swede — had been discovered in a shallow grave.
Seven Army officers were recently charged with war crimes after a video surfaced on social media
that appeared to show uniformed soldiers opening fire on a group of civilians, killing at least 13 people.
Bensouda said that Such acts could constitute crimes within the jurisdiction of the I.C.C.,