A leaked report says UN operations against rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have failed. The report, which is due to be discussed by the UN Security Council, was leaked to the BBC.

Despite the presence of the largest peacekeeping mission in the world, UN experts say there has been a surge in the number of rapes and murders and rebel groups are seizing natural resources including gold and tin.
 

The 25,000-strong UN MONUC force is in the DRC to help the army battle the feared Rwandan Hutu militias, known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). However, the military has failed to stop the FDLR rebels, who are supported by a number of highly placed officers in the DRC army. The rebels also control of a number of mineral-producing areas and they use the proceeds from tin and gold sales to finance their war.
 

The report says the UN failure has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the DRC and aid organisations say that more than a million people have fled their homes in eastern Congo.