UNITED NATIONS, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed and hundreds of homes burned down in a recent attack by Hutu rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), village leaders told the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) Thursday.

    The Secretary-General's Special Representative Alan Doss was told that 5 children were among the dead and 255 houses torched in Luofu, North Kivu province, by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), said a report released on the U.N. website.

    The FDLR, composed mainly of Hutus, has been operating in eastern DRC since the 1994 genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.

    While visiting Luofu, the official met with several chiefs who voiced their security concerns resulting from the retaliation exacted on them by the FDLR, the target of a joint military operation by DRC troops and Rwandan forces since January aimed at driving the rebel militia out of the area.

    Doss assured the people of Luofu that he will convey their message to the relevant government officials, and reiterated MONUC's resolve to strive to restore peace in the region.

    The temporary base of MONUC's Indian contingent in the region will remain in place and be reinforced to protect the local people, said Doss.