DR Congo has declared three days of national mourning on Saturday after the alleged massacre of civilians in the country’s east, with the government now giving a death toll of “more than 100.”
The government had earlier accused the M23 militia of slaughtering 50 people at Kishishe, a village around 70 kilometers (40 miles) north of the city of Goma.
The M23 hit back, saying the allegations were “baseless” and denying that it targeted civilians.
At a council of ministers meeting, the DRC’s president Felix Tshisekedi “condemned in the strongest terms the massacre of more than 100 compatriots in Kishishe,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said.
He said Tshisekedi had “instructed the government to declare three days of national mourning,” adding that flags would be flown at half-mast throughout the country.
The period of mourning will end on Monday (today) with a televised fundraising event to support victims, Muyaya said.
The president “asked the minister of justice to open an internal investigation without delay and at the same time to work for an international investigation to shed light on this war crime,” Muyaya said.
