GENEVA — The U.N. human rights office is citing reports that at least 101 people have been killed in clashes between soldiers in Congo and a local militia, the latest spasm of violence in the Central African country wracked by years of instability.

Rights office spokeswoman Liz Throssell said Tuesday that the violence in the Dibaya area of Kasai-Central province allegedly involved troops who "opened fire indiscriminately" when they spotted militia members mainly wielding machetes and spears between Thursday and Monday.

Some 39 women were among those killed, Throssell says, citing information from local colleagues and unspecified "sources" in the region.

Throssell says the rights office has called for a "full and independent" investigation, and urged military forces to show restraint.