At least 33 people were killed in a militia attack on a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in a new attack over the weekend.

The Kivu Security Observatory wrote in a social media post that at least 33 people, including militias and civilians, were killed in an attack by Kodiko militias on Mongbwalu in Ituri province.

The observatory did not specify the number of civilians killed.

Earlier reports stated that 22 people were killed in the attack on Mongbwalu.

The Kodeko Militia (Congo Development Cooperative) is a politico-religious group that claims to protect the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.

He is considered one of the 120 militias among the deadliest and most active in the troubled east of the country. She is credited with several ethnically motivated massacres in Ituri.

Last year, the Congolese government tasked the security forces with monitoring the situation in Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province to end the violence, but the attacks continue.