Heads of U.N. Probe to Leave Congo

The three leaders of a U.N. massacre probe in the Democratic Republic of Congo will leave the Central African country for consultations, one of the three said Wednesday.

Reed Brody, one of two deputy heads of the team, said the purpose of his and his colleagues’ departure is to enable the government of President Laurent Kabila to clarify its position and let the team start work. Kabila denied asking for the immediate withdrawal of the team.

The U.N. team was set up to investigate allegations by relief workers and other witnesses that Kabila’s forces or his Rwandan Tutsi allies massacred Rwandan Hutu refugees during the seven-month campaign that brought him to power in May.