A family who fled war-torn Congo to settle in Bradford say their lives are at risk if they have to go back.

Ben and Congosi wa Mussangu fear they could be slaughtered, like so many of their friends and colleagues, if forced to return to the chaotic Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mr Mussangu came to Bradford on his own two years ago to enrol on the internationally-acclaimed peace studies course. He was keen to return to his homeland with improved skills in conflict resolution in order to continue his community work to bring peace to the area.

But while studying his MA in Bradford, the situation at home deteriorated and his wife Congosi, a hospital psychologist, was forced to go into hiding with children Sifa, Rahema and Furaha.

In October, they were reunited with Mr Mussangu in Nairobi, Kenya, and he brought them over to the UK to safety.

At the moment all are legally entitled to stay in the country as he is on a student visa. But it expires at the end of March, when they will no longer have the right to stay.

He is hoping to follow up his MA with a PhD at Bradford, but fears he will be condemned to an uncertain future if his application fails.

The family is being supported by friends from All Saints' Church, Little Horton, where they are regular worshippers.

The children are also settled in schools, with 13-year-old Rahema already nicknamed Lua-Lua for his footballing prowess, after the Newcastle United Congolese international.

The family feel they are desperately lucky to have survived violent clashes which have killed millions of Congolese people. With them in Bradford is an orphan, Sarah Mbakama, whose entire family was cut down in a machete attack. She survived by lying under a bush and was later taken in by the Mussangus.

Although both the Mussangus are professional health workers, their voluntary work with a peace group has made them targets. "Unless the Government regains control of our area, we can't go back at the moment," Mr Mussangu said. "I have applied for this PhD which would take three years, when I hope things will have improved at home. We mean to go back because our job is there."

Meanwhile, Mrs Mussangu is looking for work. She says she will consider anything, although she is trained as a teacher and as a professional psychologist, and did voluntary work with traumatised women who had been raped by soldiers during the civil war.

Dr Shaun Gregory, head of the peace studies department at Bradford Univer-sity, said: "We have a very large number of PhD applications. There are 61 being considered this week. We can't take people on to a PhD course just because they might be deported or drafted.

"But we have no history of throwing students to the wolves. I can understand with two or three weeks to go his friends are feeling extremely anxious. We will do all we can to support him as a department."

A Home Office spokesman saids anyone could apply for asylum, including international students, if they felt the situation in their country had become dangerous during their stay in the UK and they were at risk of persecution.