Kampala - About 100 people have been killed by an ethnic militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We have reports that 77 people were killed at Nyoka, near Mahagi town, when Lendu fighters attacked the area and killed villagers, mainly of the Alur tribe," said a Ugandan military official.
Brigadier Kale Kaihura, the overall commander of the Ugandan forces in the DRC before they withdrew last month, confirmed the incident, which he said occurred close to the Ugandan border last week.
"I don't have the actual figure of those killed, but I understand that very many people were killed, with some reports suggesting up to 100 might have been killed."
Mahagi town is about 200km north-east of the troubled Ituri regional capital Bunia, where a French-led European Union force has been deployed to stop fierce fighting between the majority Lendu and the minority Hema.
The EU force is also needed to protect civilians and aid agencies. - Sapa-AFP