Surge in killings reported

* More than 3 300 people have been killed in the violence in the DRC’s Kasai region since last October, the Catholic Church says. The deaths are the result of clashes between the army and a rebel group, but civilians have also been caught up in the violence. The UN has reported on the discovery of more than 20 mass graves but has put the death toll so far at about 400. According to the church, 20 villages have been completely destroyed, half of them by government troops.