Congo death toll at 45,000 a month

About 5.4 million people have died since 1998 in the Democratic Republic of Congo from the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis there, a relief organisation reported yesterday.
About 45,000 die every month as a result of poverty and fighting in the vast Central African state, the International Rescue Committee found in a mortality survey. "The conflict and its aftermath, in terms of fatalities, surpass any other since World War II," IRC president George Rupp said.

Aust 24 Jan 2008