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Rwandan rebels kill 50 in eastern DR Congo: UN

17 May 2012 01:10 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Rwandan rebels have killed at least 50 civilians in May in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said on Wednesday, APA reports quoting AFP.

Twenty-two of them died in an attack Monday in the village of Kamananga in Sud-Kivu province, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said, blaming the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group.

"The FDLR accuse the locals of collaborating with elements" of a local militia, a statement said.

"Since the start of this month, at least 50 people -- including displaced persons -- have been killed by presumed FDLR members under similar conditions," it said.

On May 5, at least 10 people -- including four women working in the fields -- were killed by the presumed rebels in another Sud-Kivu village.

The FDLR is considered one of the main sources of instability in the east of the DR Congo, where several armed groups are still active.

The rebels have been targeted by the Rwandan army in joint operations with the DR Congo army, which continues to track them.