The death toll from an attack on a village in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province by the CODECO group has risen to 25.

The murders were carried out by the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) group, one of the numerous militias operating in the conflict-torn east, according to officials.

Banzala Danny, a local chief, and Vital Tungulo, a civil society activist, told Reuters that 15 dead were discovered on Sunday, in addition to the ten victims recovered on Saturday.

PHOTO | COURTESY  Congo residents

An internal U.N. document seen by Reuters, as well as Jules Ngongo, a spokeswoman for the governor of Ituri province, verified the incident and the original death toll of 10 people.

Did you read this?

  1. Hundreds Dead As Congo River Basin Submerged By Generational Floods
  2. Sporadic Violence Mar Congo Election Campaign, Threaten Vote
  3. Stampede Kills 37 During Congo Army Recruitment Drive

"We assure that all the killers will be punished by justice," Said Ngongo.

The human rights situation in Ituri has deteriorated since the beginning of the year, with CODECO carrying out more attacks, according to a March report from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO).

According to a study issued in March by the United Nations peacekeeping operation, CODECO and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), another militia organization, are responsible for the majority of civilian deaths in eastern DRC.