UN says rebel hunt disaster for Congolese but must go on

By Joe Bavier

DORUMA, Congo, Feb 9 (Reuters) - An offensive against Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels in Congo has had catastrophic consequences for civilians but must go on to drive out the rebels, the U.N. humanitarian chief said on Monday.

Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighters have killed nearly 900 people in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly since the start of a multinational campaign on Dec. 14 led by Ugandan forces.

"It's true that the humanitarian consequences have been catastrophic," U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes told reporters in Doruma, where at least 13,000 civilians have taken refuge after a spate of attacks by the rebels.

"I think they need to see the operation through. I don't know how long that will take...but I think there is no point in putting a premature end to it," Holmes said.

The decision lay with the Congolese and Ugandan governments, he said.

"We, meanwhile, will try to pick up the pieces as best we can."

The U.N. says 700 people, including 540 children, have been abducted to become fighters, porters or sex slaves, while others have been orphaned and traumatised.

"They beat my mummy and daddy's heads with pieces of wood. I hid in a bush by the road and watched them kill my parents," said Abango, a boy of 6, in a centre for traumatised children.