Kinshasa, 14 May-(ANA)-Aid agency says international mission puts civilians at risk by joining government attacks on Rwandan Hutu rebels
A UN-backed offensive against Hutu rebels in eastern Congo is likely to lead to civilian deaths and widespread suffering, Oxfam says.
The warning from the aid agency came as Monuc, the UN-led peacekeeping force in the DR Congo prepares to support the Congolese army in a new offensive against Hutu militias who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide that killed almost 1 million people.
The UN mission is providing logistical and military backing for the Congolese army as it seeks to contain a rebel resurgence in North Kivu and prepares to extend operations into neighbouring South Kivu.
Oxfam said the previous joint offensive, launched in January, had already created immense suffering for thousands of civilians, with an estimated 250,000 people still unable to return to their homes.(ANA)
