Mr Reynders calls for independent investigation on Congo mass grave

Didier Reynders, the Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister, is asking for an independent inquiry into the recently discovered mass grave in Maluku, Congo. "It's important to properly close off the site in order to prevent the disappearance of traces and pieces of evidence. After all, we need to be able to determine exactly who was buried, and under which circumstances", the deputy premier said.

Almost three weeks ago, a mass grave with over 400 bodies was discovered in Maluku, a municipality of the Congolese capital Kinshasa. Local residents alerted human rights workers to a foul odour near the local cemetery, where they found the mass grave. The same residents reported two trucks driving onto the site and dumping bodies.

The Congolese government is not denying the dumping, but says that the individuals concerned were poor people and stillborn babies. Activist organisations like Human Rights Watch are now calling for an independent investigation. They want to know whether there are bodies of opponents of the Congolese regime among the victims.

Foreign Affairs Minister Reynders was "appalled" when he heard about the news. The Francophone liberal minister says the discovery raises "many questions". "The people of Congo and the international community have a right to answers", mister Reynders says. That is why he too is requesting an independent investigation.

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