The army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo blamed the Allied Democratic Forces for the attack, but other sources said the attack may be ethnic.

A military official and monitor said at least 50 people were killed in two night attacks in the troubled eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A local official accused the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) associated with the Islamic State of ISIL (ISIS). Military spokesman Jules Ngongo told the dpa news agency that ADF fighters attacked the villages of Boga and Tchabi in the eastern area of ??Ituri.

The two villages are located on the border between North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which is believed to be an active area of ??the ADF.

Other sources said the attacks may be due to ethnic reasons.

A community leader said that among the victims were children and the elderly.

After a meeting of security forces in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, the number of casualties among the Democratic Republic of the Congo army was slightly higher, at 53.

Local councillor Gracien Iracan said at least 60 people were killed.

Ilacan told AFP: “Seven trucks have come to transport the victims-this is a dramatic situation.” “They are still looking for the bodies, so the death toll may increase. Many injured people are still hiding. In the bushes.”

“Targeted” attacks

Congressman Ilakan said: “A large number of attackers appeared and the targets of the attack were clear. They killed two local leaders… We cannot rule out that they are reckoning.”

Two local officials in Boga told AFP that the attackers had attacked a camp for displaced persons. They said that so far, 36 bodies have been found in Boga, and this number has not been independently confirmed.

In view of the ethnic conflict in the area, these officials also cautioned against immediately accusing the ADF.

The suspicion that the violence is racially motivated stems from the fact that the displaced persons camp in Boga mainly accommodates displaced persons from the Nyali group-but a nearby place to house Banyabwisha people survived.

The head of the Nyali community in Tchabi told AFP over the phone that “we believe that the people behind the attacks in these two villages are the same group of people”.