UN warns of rebel 'rampage' through DRC

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Aug 07 2009 11:24

Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are killing people, displacing others, raping women and torching homes in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations warned on Friday.

Dubbing the latest rise in attacks a "rampage" by the group, which has been accused of extreme human rights abuses, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said the humanitarian situation was deteriorating.

"The humanitarian situation in this remote part of the DRC remains dramatic," spokesperson Andrej Mahacic told reporters in Geneva.

Getting more than some food and blankets to the people in need was increasingly difficult, he added, as "insecurity is preventing larger-scale deliveries of humanitarian aid".

Since September 2007, the LRA -- which started as a Ugandan rebel group and is currently being pursued by the armies of several countries -- has killed 1 273 people and abducted 655 children and 1 427 adults, UN figures show. More than 270 000 people have also been displaced by the attacks. -- Sapa-dpa

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UN warns of rebel 'rampage' through DRC

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