Iraq: exhumation of mass grave in Sinjar

The remains of hundreds of Yezidis executed by Da’esh are believed to have been discovered at a mass grave in Kocho, Sinjar, Rudaw reports. The Iraqi government, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and the United Nations are conducting an exhumation of the suspected mass grave sites. So far, 26 bodies have been recovered at the site in Kocho, although 500 victims’ remains are through to be buried there. http://bit.ly/2InQIfI

More than 3,000 Yezidis still missing

The Kurdistan Regional Government says more than 360,000 Yezidis are still living in displacement camps in the Dohuk Governorate. As many as 3,000 Yezidis are still missing since the liberation of the territory that was controlled by militants, Rudaw reports. https://bit.ly/2Iz21RD

Zimbabwe to excavate mass graves from the 1980s

The President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has promised an open discussion of “Gukurahundi”, the mass killings of those perceived to be opponents of the government in the 1980s and says victims will be exhumed from mass graves. Report Focus News cites more than 20,000 victims. https://bit.ly/2IwGB7K

Mexico: Special Prosecutor’s office for missing persons

Newsweek Mexico reports on the creation of a Special Prosecutor’s Office to account for missing persons in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes. The office will work together with the Deputy Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Crimes “in order to investigate cases of missing persons more effectively” (Original article in Spanish). https://bit.ly/2UGigDK

Mexico: 45 bodies found in clandestine graves

Officials have confirmed the discovery of up to 45 bodies at clandestine burial sites in Mexico, Associated Press reports. Thirty cadavers were found in one spot in the northern state of Sonora and 15 on the outskirts of Guadalajara in Jalisco state. http://bit.ly/2KIUkLr

Items in the Daily World News Digest are summaries of published reports relevant to the issue of missing persons, compiled by ICMP staff. These items do not necessarily reflect the position of ICMP.