UN warns against risk of slaughter in Rwanda

The United Nations representative in Rwanda, Omar Bakhet, has said there's a danger of a renewed catastrophe in the country, as violence in the north-west escalates.

In a BBC interview, he urged the international community to help the Rwandan government to avert fresh killings.

Up to one million people -- mostly Tutsis -- died during the three-month civil war of 1994.

There's been renewed violence in the north-west of Rwanda in recent months, with Hutu militiamen attacking civilians and soldiers, and the Tutsi-led army carrying out reprisals.

On Wednesday, the army said it had killed twenty-four suspected Hutu rebels in the area.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service