(Adds Irene Khan in 8th para; Ban Ki-moon 10-11; UNHCR 16th) By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers must do a better job of protecting civilians vulnerable to killings and rapes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Amnesty International said on Friday. In a report based on investigations in North Kivu province, Amnesty also accused the national army of losing control of whole units that "went on a week-long spree of looting", during which a number of rapes and killings were reported. Rebels led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda have routed the army and captured swathes of territory in the province since August, sending around a quarter of a million people fleeing for their lives. Amnesty said it had received allegations that scores of civilians -- mainly men -- had been killed by fighters loyal to Nkunda. But the accusations were denied by Nkunda's group. Rapes, shooting and looting were regularly reported in camps for displaced persons close to the provincial capital Goma, "often allegedly committed by government soldiers", it said. "First-hand information gathered by Amnesty International indicates that war crimes and serious human rights violations are taking place in the conflict zone of North Kivu," it said. Reinforcing MONUC, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, was "imperative and urgent", the rights watchdog added. "Protection by MONUC is not the rule, but rather the exception. Communities are living and fleeing in acute fear," Irene Khan, Amnesty's Secretary-General, told reporters. KILLINGS ON "DAILY BASIS" The 17,000-strong MONUC is the world's biggest peacekeeping force, but has failed to halt the violence in North Kivu, where aid workers have been clamouring for additional foreign military protection to enable them to extend their work. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressing a separate news conference in Geneva, conceded shortcomings. But he voiced hope that the extra 3,000 peacekeeping troops recently approved by the Security Council would improve security. "I regret that we have not been able to properly protect the civilians in the region. MONUC has been (doing) and will continue to do their best, mobilising all necessary resources and power to protect civilians in the region," Ban said. Civilians are being killed daily in North Kivu, according to Amnesty, which cited witness testimony to the killing of scores of civilians in Kiwanja in early November. Human rights groups say 150 civilians were massacred by rebel and militia fighters. The national army also "continues to be responsible for grave human rights violations, including frequent rape and looting," according to Amnesty's report. MONUC needs to be "more proactive and visible along North Kivu's major roads, especially when it knows that civilians are fleeing in large numbers", it said. U.N. forces should mount patrols in and around camps for displaced persons, especially at night and when women and children leave the camps to seek food and firewood, it said. A five-year-old girl was shot dead in Kibati camp north of Goma on Friday, while a seven-year-old girl was fighting for her life after being shot, according to the U.N. refugee agency which had no immediate information on who was responsible. (Editing by Katie Nguyen)
RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2008 People seek refuge from flood waters in east Nepal August 24, 2008. Twenty-four bodies have been discovered washed away by Koshi River at the Nepal-India ...
