United Nations officials say clashes between government troops and militia fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo have forced at least 50,000 people to flee their homes.
The fighting is in the southeastern province of Katanga, where the Congolese army recently launched an offensive to disarm the Mayi-Mayi militiamen.
Those displaced people are said to be living in quickly-constructed shelters with little or no humanitarian assistance. Media reports say none of the nearly 17,000 U.N. peacekeeping troops in the country has been deployed to the volatile province.
The Congolese government is trying to regain control of the country as it prepares for the DRC's first democratic elections in more than four decades. They are due to be held next year.
Millions of people died during Congo's five-year civil war that ended with a peace deal in 2003.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
