WORLD> Africa
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WORLD> Africa
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UN says Congolese troops raped, pillaged
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-12 10:06 A UN mission sent to Kiwanja, about 50 miles north of Goma, to investigate reports of civilian massacres there. It visited 11 burial sites that witnesses said contained 26 bodies of combatants and civilians, Ban's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said at least 50 civilians were killed there, mostly by rebels. Closer to Goma, the situation for displaced refugees was dire. "I haven't eaten properly in three weeks," said Teoneste Dies, 22. He fled his home three weeks ago with his wife and three children, surviving on whatever potatoes they could scrounge. On Tuesday, he waited with thousands of others for food aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross. In Kibati, about 70,000 people are living in makeshift camps. A long line snaked through town Tuesday morning as villagers picked up oil, maize flour, salt and beans. Men were attempting to till a nearby field littered with volcanic rocks from an eruption in 2006. "Normally they never try to plant there," said Abdallah Togola, an aid worker. "It's a big indication of how urgent the situation is." Relief officials say they have recorded at least 90 cholera cases around Goma since Friday. Seven more were admitted to a clinic in Kibati on Monday night.The World Health Organization said Tuesday it fears a cholera epidemic could break out if the fighting continues and people continue to live in makeshift camps without proper sanitation. At least 1,000 cases of cholera have been detected since the start of October. |
