Insurgents killed at least 11 civilians and three soldiers in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, the army said.

Fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the town of Ndalya in Ituri region, killing at least 11 civilians, Ituri province army spokesman Lieutenant Jules Ngongo told AFP.

He added that in the ensuing fighting "three members of the armed forces fell on the battlefield" and the troops "neutralised four ADF elements".

"The enemy retreated into the bush," he said. "We are still pursuing them so that we can put the people out of danger."

Ndalya is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Ituri capital Bunia.

After a month of relative calm, a resurgence of attacks attributed to the ADF began earlier this month.

Originally Muslim rebels from neighbouring Uganda, the ADF settled in the DRC in 1995.

The UN has said 468 deaths in the east were attributed to the ADF in the second half of 2020, including 108 women and 15 children.