Codeco fighters are mainly from the Lendu farming community

UN peacekeepers in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have found dozens of bodies in mass graves.

The discovery comes after a series of attacks by armed groups in the region of Ituri.

A UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, said the bodies of 42 people including women and children had been discovered in the village of Nyamamba, and a further seven men in the village of Mbogi.

The peacekeepers had launched patrols in the area after reports of attacks by Codeco militias.

Its fighters are mainly from the Lendu farming community which has long been in conflict with Hema herders.