Victims of DR Congo anti-UN rally shootings buried

An August 30 crackdown by Democratic Republic of Congo soldiers on protesters demonstrating against the presence of UN peacekeepers in the country resulted in at least "57 victims," Interior Minister Peter Kazadi said.

Kazadi travelled to Goma on Monday to meet the families of the victims and oversee the burials.

He said the bodies, which had been decomposing in a Goma military hospital for 20 days, had posed "health risks". Relatives were banned from visiting until September 12.

"The government provided the coffins," paid for the funeral expenses and "gave an envelope to console the families", the minister told reporters.

Arriving at dusk under the pouring rain in a cemetery on the outskirts of Goma, the minister paid tribute to the victims in front of four white coffins.

After his departure, the rest of the coffins arrived on trucks amid the stench of decaying corpses.

Assisted by cemetery staff, family members carried the coffins of their loved ones across a muddy field to a row of graves, where, by the light of cell phones, their laid them to rest.

The United Nations earlier this month demanded an independent probe into the killings, insisting "that measures are put in place to ensure that future demonstrations are policed in line with international human rights standards".

Six Republican Guard soldiers, including two senior officers, are currently standing trial in Goma for crimes against humanity and non-compliance with orders.

The UN rights office said at least 43 people had been killed, including a police officer, and 75 people wounded when the troops violently suppressed the demonstration organised by a religious sect.