Four armed men barged into Anna Mburano’s hut, slapped the children and threw them down. They flipped Mrs. Mburano on her back, she said, and raped her, repeatedly.

JOHANNESBURG — The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have set the stage to relieve Congo of a massive $12.3 billion in debt, most of it dating back more than 20 years to loans made to the corrupt regime of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.