Kinshasa

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and United Nations security forces were out in strength on Monday in a tense Kinshasa ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on an electoral challenge by losing presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba. Dozens of riot police were on guard around the Foreign Ministry, where the court has worked since its building was partly burned during a violent protest.

United Nations helicopters and peacekeepers on Monday opened fire against rebels after coming under attack in and around the volatile eastern town of Sake in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a spokesperson for the UN mission in the DRC said. Forces loyal to a rebel general seized part of Sake on Sunday in heavy fire fights with government soldiers.

The rotting corpses of about 30 men, women and children have been found in mass graves in the strife-torn north-eastern Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a military prosecutor said on Friday. The remains were found on Wednesday in three graves at Bavi, a town about 40km south of the regional capital Bunia.

Dozens of troops on Wednesday guarded the Supreme Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to prevent further violent protests while judges considered an opposition challenge to election results. The capital, Kinshasa, was calm after Tuesday’s clashes.

Fire raged on Tuesday at the Supreme Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after clashes between police and supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba, who has filed a legal challenge after losing the country’s presidential election. Black smoke poured out of the court building at about 1pm local time.

More than 2 000 civilians from western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have fled across the Congo River to escape fighting between supporters of rival presidential contenders, the United Nations said on Monday. The clashes in DRC’s Equateur province occurred days after electoral authorities last week announced a provisional result in an October 29 presidential run-off.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, the loser of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Saturday formally contested the outcome of the vote, which gave victory to incumbent Jospeh Kabila. The outcome of the vote was formally challenged by the rapporteur of Bemba’s Union for the Nation coalition, Delly Sessanga, on behalf of the outgoing vice-president.

Politicians on all sides called for calm on Thursday after Joseph Kabila was declared the winner of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) bitterly fought presidential election. Kabila took 58,05% of the vote in the October 29 second-round ballot, compared with 41,9% for his rival, Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba, the country’s Independent Electoral Commission said.

Provisional results published on Wednesday from Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) historic presidential election gave President Joseph Kabila 58% of votes, against 42% for his rival Jean-Pierre Bemba, with all votes counted. DRC’s Independent Electoral Commission has said it must deal with challenges to the figures before declaring a winner.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba’s coalition on Tuesday rejected results published so far, which showed his rival President Joseph Kabila poised to win a historic election. ”The Union for the Nation will not accept an electoral hold-up that aims to steal the victory from the Congolese people,” the coalition said in a statement.

Incumbent President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo leads his challenger Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba by a three to two margin in the run-off presidential election, according to the latest partial results published on Friday. With 65% of the vote counted Kabila has 60,67% of the vote and Bemba 39,33%.

Democratic Republic of Congo presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba says there have been irregularities in the publication of partial results from the election. Results from districts published by authorities since the October 29 election are different from results ”in our possession”, said a spokesperson for Bemba’s party.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s president maintained a sizable lead on Monday over the former rebel leader challenging his seat in a historic runoff election. The tally of about 1,8-million ballots out of 25-million registered voters had President Joseph Kabila well ahead with 70% of the vote, compared with 30% for Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) government on Wednesday welcomed a decision by the United States to impose sanctions on seven warlords and businessmen, including a notorious international arms dealer, who are accused of fuelling instability in this vast country’s lawless east.

Rioting mobs rampaged through a north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town on Monday, destroying 43 polling stations after a soldier killed two electoral workers in violence that came a day after the volatile country’s run-off presidential vote.

President Joseph Kabila and Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba will face off in the second round of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on October 29, the country’s Supreme Court confirmed on Friday. The court published final results from the first round on July 30, confirming preliminary results giving Kabila the lead.

Four people were confirmed dead on Friday and dozens more were missing after a copper mine collapsed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). About 50 workers are believed to have been in the mine at the time of the accident, French-language radio station RFI reported, adding that 13 are known to have survived.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila met his chief election rival Jean-Pierre Bemba on Wednesday for the first time since poll-related violence in August, an official said. Kabila’s spokesperson Kudura Kasongo said the meeting took place in the context of a regular gathering between the president and his four deputies, of which Bemba is one.

Five villagers were killed and numerous others wounded when soldiers attacked their homes in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), United Nations-sponsored radio said on Tuesday. The attack took place on September 5 at Monoli II, a small village in Isangi district, about 250km west of Kisangani, capital of Orientale province.

South African President Thabo Mbeki held talks with Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) leader Joseph Kabila and rival Jean-Pierre Bemba on Monday as the international community steps up pressure for a peaceful presidential run-off next month. Fighting in Kinshasa between troops loyal to Kabila and Vice-President Bemba killed at least 30 people last month.

A coalition backing President Joseph Kabila won the largest number of seats in the Republic of Congo’s (DRC) July 30 parliamentary elections, but fell short of an overall majority, according to results from electoral authorities on Friday. Kabila’s Alliance for the Presidential Majority won about 200 of the 500 parliamentary seats, or roughly 40%.

The group of parties led by Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) President Joseph Kabila has taken a commanding lead in parliamentary elections, according to partial results released on Monday. The 31-party Alliance of the Presidential Majority, headed by the 35-year-old president, gained 169 out of the 340 parliamentary seats for which results have been counted.

Walls plastered with campaign posters from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s historic elections are newly peppered with bullet holes. Tank fire has smashed buildings just down the bloodstained streets from voting centres in the war-battered capital. Balloting was meant to bring a final closure to the Central African nation’s 1996 to 2002 conflict.