More than 100 people have been killed in an alleged attack by Ugandan rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lawmakers say.
The carnage took place near the volatile town of Beni, North Kivu Province, on Thursday, members of parliament told reporters.
The bodies of 95 people were found in a mass grave while nine other dead bodies were shown to authorities at a morgue, said opposition lawmaker, Juma Balikwisha.
Meanwhile, Albert Baliesima, a lawmaker for the parliamentary majority backing President Joseph Kabila, put the death toll at around 70 to 100.
The Civil Society of North Kivu, a non-governmental organization based in Beni, alleged that the attackers were Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces and National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu).
Regional officials, however, said they could not identify the perpetrators of the killings in a region where the Congolese army and a UN special intervention force have been battling the ADF-Nalu since January.
In October, more than 200 civilians were killed in gruesome machete attacks near Beni in North Kivu.
The ADF-Nalu remains the only militant group active in the region, authorities said.
The ADF-Nalu rebels, believed to number around 400, have been accused of serious human rights violations, including using child soldiers and rape.
They are engaged in trafficking gold and wood to finance themselves, which could further destabilize the vast region rich in minerals, the United Nations said.
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