Hutu rebels raped, killed and kidnapped thousands: UN

RWANDAN Hutu rebels operating in eastern Congo have executed, raped, beaten or kidnapped more than 1,500 civilians over the past year, according to a UN report released yesterday.

Since June 2004, Hutu rebels from the militia group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, along with a spin-off militia, raped 320 women, executed 175 people, kidnapped 465 people and beat 748 others in eastern Congo's south Kivu province, the report released in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, said.

Most of the atrocities took place around the town of Walungu, the scene of fighting in December between rebels and government forces. Walungu is about 30 miles south-west of Bukavu, the provincial capital.