Machete attack: At least 40 civilians killed in DR Congo

At least 40 people were killed when machete-wielding militiamen attacked a site for displaced people in strife-torn eastern DR Congo, a monitoring group and local sources said yesterday.

"At least 40 civilians were killed with edged weapons last night in Plaine Savo" in Djugu territory, the US-based Kivu Security Tracker (KST) said on Twitter.

Desire Malo Dra, a representative of civil society groups in Bahema Badjere, said most of the casualties of the attack, which occurred at around 9pm, 10pm" on Tuesday, were women and children.

The KST said the suspected attackers were from a notorious armed group called CODECO, blamed for a string of ethnic massacres in the area.