The army and the Red Cross in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, said more than ten civilians were killed at dawn on Saturday at the hands of rebels from the Alliance of Democratic Forces (ADF).

“We heard gunshots at dawn in the village of Bio Manyama. When we arrived we were late because the ADF had killed more than a dozen of our compatriots with machetes and we were chasing them, I confirm that our soldiers neutralized seven elements of the Allied Democratic Forces, they also arrested another element during the combing operation.

But the local Red Cross reported a higher death toll, confirming that 20 civilians were killed in the attack.

In a statement to Agence France-Presse, Philippe Bonant, a local Red Cross spokesman who oversees the transfer of the bodies to the mortuary, said “the death toll from the terrorist attack in Bio Manyama this afternoon rose from 21 to 24 civilians.”