UN Investigating Possible War Crimes in Congo

Congolese displaced by fighting carry bags of blankets distributed by aid workers at the stadium in...

Congolese displaced by fighting carry bags of blankets distributed by aid workers at the stadium in the rebel held town of Rutshuru, eastern Congo, Wednesday Nov. 26, 2008. Thousands of people massed in the rebel-held town in eastern Congo Wednesday to receive the largest distribution of aid since fighting engulfed the area a month ago. The U.N. Children's Fund handed out soap, blankets and water containers, supplies that can help combat diseases such as cholera, said spokesman Jaya Murthy. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

(AP)

U.N. officials have opened investigations into whether war crimes have been committed in eastern Congo, saying they have alarming evidence of targeted killings and possibly massacres of civilians.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised the possibility of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a report Wednesday to the Security Council that recommends U.N. peacekeepers who make up the world's largest such contingent should remain in Congo through 2009.

"The forced displacement of populations and evidence of the targeted killings of civilians are alarming. In the current climate, the possibility of massacres of civilians cannot be ruled out," he said in the report.

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