Human remains were discovered in Cote d'Ivoire's western town of Duekoue by the villagers, indicating the possibility of a mass grave, according to the UN mission in the West African country.

A group of women doing farming on Monday discovered the remains and immediately alerted the security forces.

An inquiry was launched to shed more light on the identity and the circumstances of the deaths, security sources told Xinhua.

Six months ago, human bones for six people were discovered in the same locality of Duekoue after a thorough search.

A source from the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI) said the discovery indicates the existence of a mass grave in Duekoue town.

The western region of the country was the theater of several deadly clashes in the culmination of the post-election crisis between late 2010 and early 2011.

More recently, the region also witnessed violent inter-ethnic conflicts and sporadic attacks by unknown people on military installations.