Geneva - The United Nations Human Rights Council restarted Monday a special session on the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the first part, which took place last Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, warned of a deteriorating situation in areas of the DR Congo where the Tutsi rebels of General Laurant Nkunda have fought government forces.

She said both forces had committed severe abuses against the civilian population, including sexual violence against women.

There are some 250,000 internally displaced people in DR Congo from the recent fighting, and others have fled to neighbouring countries. They come on top of over a million refugees from previous conflicts in the area. (dpa)