The civilians were killed on Tuesday by "warning shots" fired by the peacekeepers, and 28 people were wounded, the governor said.

The UN convoy was returning from a resupply mission north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, when assailants set four trucks on fire, the UN mission in the country MONUSCO said on Tuesday.

The attack took place at Kanyaruchinya, where thousands of displaced people live.

"The MONUSCO soldiers in charge of security fired warning shots, which unfortunately caused the death of eight of our compatriots among the displaced and 28 wounded," a spokesman for Lieutenant-General Constant Ndima said.

MONUSCO has not responded to AFP's request for comment.