Bloodshed in DR Congo claims 34 lives during Christmas weekend

At least 34 civilians have been killed over the past weekend in what has been described as a massacre in North Kivu province, a majority Christian area in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The bloodshed began in Eringeti — a town 55 kilometres (35 miles) north of the regional hub Beni, which for two years has been hit by massacres killing more than 700 people, many of whom were hacked to death.

An official has blamed the latest attack on Ugandan rebels, but some experts say the Congolese army may have been involved.

Attacks have surged across the country in the past week alongside violent protests over President Joseph Kabila's failure to step down at the end of his constitutional mandate on Tuesday.