At least 33 people killed in east Dr Congo

• A respected monitor says at least 33 people were killed in an attack on Mongbwalu town.
• The death toll rises from the 22 bodies discovered earlier this week.
• The notorious CODECO group has been blamed for a number of ethnic massacres in Ituri.

A respected monitor said Saturday that at least 33 people were killed in an attack on a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, raising the previously reported death toll.

The monitor, Kivu Security Tracker, tweeted that at least 33 people, including militia members and civilians, had died as a result of an attack by the notorious CODECO group on Mongbwalu in Ituri province.

However, it did not specify how many of those killed were civilians.

The death toll rises from the previously reported figure of 22 people killed during the attack on Mongbwalu town.

Earlier this week, town mayor Jean-Pierre Bikilisende told AFP that 22 bodies had been discovered following clashes between militants and Congolese troops.

Fourteen civilians and eight militants were killed, he said, adding that CODECO members had been staging attacks since Tuesday in an attempt to free fellow fighters apprehended by Congolese security forces.

The CODECO (Cooperative for the Development of the Congo) is a political-religious sect that claims to represent the Lendu ethnic group’s interests.

It is regarded as one of the deadliest of the country’s more than 120 militias and has been blamed for a number of ethnic massacres in Ituri.

The Congolese government placed security officials in charge of Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province last year in an attempt to reduce violence, but the attacks continue.

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