21.   Civilians also suffered from Russian shellings and air raids in the south and southeast of the breakaway republic.

22.   Civilians were also suffering from the effects of sanctions imposed on the country after Maj. Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, seized power last July.

23.   Civilians also suffered tortures, degrading treatment and summary executions, at the hands of Russian forces, he reported.

24.   Civilians suffer most as they are caught in crossfire between the army and the Hutu rebels, who operate from neighboring Zaire.

25.   Human rights organisations say innocent civilians are suffering at the hands of the authorities.

26.   In Tehran, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami blamed the United States for tensions in the Gulf and said that civilians would suffer as a result of any U.S. attack.

27.   Local authorities accuse the rebels of making innocent civilians suffer.

28.   Talk of withdrawal could make the fighting worse, and civilians would surely suffer if the U.N. soldiers leave, they argued.

29.   Some civilians suffered minor injuries.

30.   Some civilians suffered injuries fleeing the violence, but there were no immediate reports of casualties from the clashes.