Rights group says rebels killed 321 villagers in Congo

An international human rights group says rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least 321 villagers in a previously unreported massacre. In a report Sunday, Human Rights Watch said another 250 people were abducted by rebels from Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Rights group says rebels killed 321 villagers in Congo It says the killing spree took place in several villages in the Makombo area of northeastern DRC over the course of four days in mid-December. The group says most of those killed were men who were first tied up and then attacked with machetes, axes or sticks. A UN official confirmed the attacks and said the organization is investigating. The head of the UN investigation, Liliane Egounlety, told Reuters news agency 290 deaths have been confirmed so far. UN officials say it has taken so long to carry out the investigation because of the remoteness of the area. The Lord's Resistance Army, once based in northern Uganda, is accused of killing, kidnapping and mutilating thousands of people over the past 20 years. LRA leader Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges. Ugandan army units have been chasing the LRA across central Africa for the past couple of years. The rebels have attacked villages in Uganda, the Central African Republic, DRC, and southern Sudan.

Rights group says rebels killed 321 villagers in Congo

It says the killing spree took place in several villages in the Makombo area of northeastern DRC over the course of four days in mid-December.

The group says most of those killed were men who were first tied up and then attacked with machetes, axes or sticks.

A UN official confirmed the attacks and said the organization is investigating. The head of the UN investigation, Liliane Egounlety, told Reuters news agency 290 deaths have been confirmed so far.

UN officials say it has taken so long to carry out the investigation because of the remoteness of the area.

The Lord's Resistance Army, once based in northern Uganda, is accused of killing, kidnapping and mutilating thousands of people over the past 20 years.

LRA leader Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges.

Ugandan army units have been chasing the LRA across central Africa for the past couple of years. The rebels have attacked villages in Uganda, the Central African Republic, DRC, and southern Sudan.