Armed militia attacked a school and raped female students on the eve of their examinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The men attacked an examination centre housing 35 final year students in Isiro town, the capital of Haut-Uélé province.

Local authorities said some female students were raped during the attack.

The students went on to sit for the examinations on Monday, according to a priest in the area.

Hundreds of students fled after another attack near another examination centre, according to AFP news agency.

Some 700 students and teachers fled after the attack near the border with South Sudan.

The militia wanted to sabotage the exams; the agency quotes a local army spokesperson Dieudonne Kasereka as saying.