JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A human rights group says more than 1,400 civilians have been killed in eastern Congo during army operations to oust militiamen from the area.
In a report released Monday, Human Rights Watch said that both Congolese army soldiers and Hutu militiamen had shot civilians as people fled. It said others killed between January and September were burned inside their homes.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, known as MONUC, has backed the Congolese army in the region since March.
MONUC has said that the U.N. is working hard to protect civilians in the region.
But Human Rights Watch urged the U.N. to immediately end all support to the military operation and called for commanders accused of abuses to be removed from their positions.
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