Washington - The bodies of tens of thousands of civilians killed by the rebel alliance which conquered the former Zaire have been found in remote parts of the country, a human rights activist said yesterday in the Washington Post.
The bones are those of Hutu refugees from Rwanda and Burundi, killed while fleeing the forces led by Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila, the Human Rights Watch/Africa consultant Scott Campbell wrote. "On a recent trip to the Congo, I was able to see and photograph what Kabila and Rwandan Vice-President Paul Kagame certainly do not want anyone to see: the remains of tens of thousands of civilians massacred during Kabila's military campaign across the former Zaire." Mr Campbell added: "Among the decomposed remains were the bodies of a number of women and children. In many areas, the bones already have been hastily exhumed and burned" by the forces backed by the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan army.