Around the World: Dem. Rep. of Congo

Huge toll in fighting

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 900,000 displaced by Rwandan Hutu militiamen and Congolese forces since January, humanitarian groups said yesterday. The report released by a coalition of 84 organizations said that many of the killings were carried out by Rwandan Hutu militiamen. Congolese government soldiers also have targeted civilians, the report said.

A Congolese military operation has been aimed at forcing out the Rwandan Hutu militiamen, many of whom sought refuge in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo after participating in Rwanda's 1994 genocide that killed more than 500,000 people.