Rights group Amnesty says it has discovered five possible mass graves near Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, where security forces are accused of killing scores of people in December.
Amnesty says the satellite images show disturbed earth at sites in the Buringa area on the edge of the capital that are consistent with witness reports.
“These images suggest a deliberate effort by the authorities to cover up the extent of the killings by their security forces and to prevent the full truth from coming out,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty’s regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.
At least 87 people were killed in December’s crackdown, which came after military bases were attacked by gunmen, but the UN said the true number may be much higher.
The UN said it was also analysing satellite images to investigate reports of at least nine mass graves, including one in a military camp said to contain more than 100 bodies.
Violence in the East African country erupted in April 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza declared his bid for a controversial third term in office, which he went on to win in July.
The African Union (AU) leaders are due to discuss the situation in Burundi at the summit in Ethiopia.
The leaders want President Nkurunziza to accept a peacekeeping force to prevent the country from sliding into conflict.
