ISTANBUL (AA) — At least 52 people were killed in an alleged attack by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) militia in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local media reported on Tuesday.

The militia had launched attacks late Monday in three localities in Dguju in the northeastern province of Ituri.

Local civil society members said 52 people were killed, eight injured, and 30 houses burned down by militiamen during an overnight attack, according to local broadcaster Radio Okapi.

Other local sources claimed that some 80 people were killed in the attacks.

Attacks by CODECO, an armed group claiming to defend the interests of the Lendu tribe against the rival Hema, has killed hundreds of civilians since 2014 in restive eastern Congo

The attack on civilians in Ituri comes amid a humanitarian crisis in the North Kivu province where nearly 3,000 people have been killed since late January after M23 rebels launched a renewed offensive against Congolese forces.

M23 claims to have taken control of Goma in North Kivu and declared their own administration of the city.