UN inquiry finds Congolese militia likely killed an American and Swede

Thomson Reuters

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A United Nations inquiry found that two UN investigators were murdered by a group of Congolese, likely militia members from central Democratic Republic of Congo, but an absence of evidence "does not preclude the possibility that others are involved."

Michael Sharp, an American who was a coordinator of an independent sanctions monitoring group, and Zaida Catalan, a Swede, were killed in central Congo on March 12 while carrying out investigations for an annual report to the UN Security Council.

"Without further investigation and the necessary judicial processes, the identity, affiliations, and motives of the group that participated in killing Mr. Sharp and Ms. Catalan cannot be fully established," said an executive summary of the internal UN Board of Inquiry, submitted to the Security Council on Tuesday and seen by Reuters on Wednesday. 

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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