KINSHASA, Feb. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The armed force Mai Mai swept the Kitenge region in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 30 civilians, the UN observer group announced on Wednesday.

    The announcement said the group sent a team last Thursday and Friday to probe into the killings.

    The investigators found that the Mai Mai fighters stormed into a number of villages in the southeastern state of Katanga, torturing unarmed civilians, raping women and drinking the blood of the victims. Some people were taken hostage while lots of residents had to flee their hometown.

    From Feb. 10 to Feb. 17, government troops also killed three civilians suspected of links with the Mai Mai group in retaliation for the killing of eight soldiers by the armed force on Feb. 7.

    The UN group asked the Mai Mai armed group to immediately stop violence against civilians and release the hostages. The government troops were also called on to suspend retaliation operations. Enditem