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Annan concerned at reports of mass graves

    JOHANNESBURG

    UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he is "deeply distressed" at media reports from Angola this week on the discovery of mass graves with nearly 100 bodies found near Chipeta on the outskirts of the besieged government-held central highlands town of Kuito.

    In a statement from New York, he said: "Due to the deterioration of the security situation, the United Nations does not have any presence in the area and it cannot at this stage confirm these reports."

    Earlier in the week, humanitarian sources in Luanda told IRIN efforts were underway to investigate the reports which were originally carried by the independent Catholic broadcasting station, 'Radio Ecclesia' and a Portuguese radio station.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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