Discovery of Mass Graves Containing 172 Bodies Follows Rebel Withdrawal from Eastern Congolese City

Congo officials find 172 bodies in mass graves in Uvira. The discovery follows the exit of M23 rebels from the South Kivu hub after international pressure.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 28, 2026, 5:53 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Reuters

The Grim Recovery of a Strategic Transit Hub

The liberation of the eastern Congolese city of Uvira has been overshadowed by the discovery of significant atrocities committed during its brief occupation. Provincial authorities have reported the finding of two distinct mass burial sites containing at least 172 victims, uncovered shortly after the withdrawal of AFC/M23 rebel forces. This port city on Lake Tanganyika, which serves as a vital transit point near the Burundian border, was seized in December 2025 before international pressure, primarily from the United States, forced a rebel retreat. As the Congolese national army re-entered the urban center last month, the scale of the human toll began to surface, revealing a landscape of concentrated violence that local officials are only now beginning to document.

Specific Sites of Violence in Local Neighborhoods

According to Jean-Jacques Purusi, the Kinshasa-appointed governor of South Kivu, the investigative teams focused their efforts on the Kilomoni and Kavimvira districts. Detailed reports from the governor indicate that one grave held 31 sets of remains, while a second, significantly larger site contained 141 bodies. These findings align with earlier warnings from Human Rights Watch, which documented reports of summary executions carried out by M23 fighters during their initial December offensive. The discovery of these sites has sent shockwaves through the local community, as residents begin the agonizing process of identifying missing relatives who disappeared during the week-long occupation of their neighborhoods.

Escalating Reports of Rural Atrocities

The horror of the urban discoveries is likely only a partial accounting of the violence, with human rights activists reporting further sites in the surrounding countryside. Mashauri Mwindule, a prominent local activist, has identified additional graves in Kabimba, a village situated approximately eight kilometers from the city limits. This suggests that the pattern of executions was not limited to the city center but extended into the rural peripheries where rebels maintained secondary positions. The geographic spread of these burial sites points to a systematic campaign of violence that targeted both urban residents and those fleeing into the neighboring hills to escape the advancing front lines.