Militia terror force thousands to flee

GANGS of militia have attacked five villages in south-eastern Congo, raping girls as young as eight years old and forcing more than 1,000 people to flee, a UN official said yesterday.

Gunmen from the Mayi-Mayi militia attacked the villages in Katanga province over the past two weeks, burning houses, looting crops and raping 15 women and girls, said Anne Edgerton, an official with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The spate of rapes took place May 25 in the fishing village of Sonsa located about 220 kilometres south-west of the Lake Tanganyika town of Kalemie following a disagreement between the village's 100 residents and their local chief, Ms Edgerton said.