The uniformed attackers struck the morning after security forces had clashed with party members and other opposition activists protesting against what they say is a bid by President Joseph Kabila to extend his rule over Africa's top copper producer.

Two charred bodies could be seen inside the offices of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) in Kinshasa on Tuesday, next to empty gasoline cans strewn across the floor, a Reuters witness said.

"We were sleeping when men came and forced in the door ... I saw men in military uniform," said Jean Toumba, a UDPS member who had been sleeping in the building.

"They threw petrol and set fire to the office. I ran out to hide," he told Reuters. The armed men burst in to the office in the capital's Limete neighborhood at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT), he added.

Witnesses had initially said three bodies were inside the building. However one was found to be alive, though he was badly burnt. Another person was also injured in the fire.

The UDPS is led by Etienne Tshisekedi, an opposition stalwart who lost against Kabila in a 2011 presidential run-off.

The party is one of the main political groupings calling for Kabila to step down when his term expires in December</s>At least 44 people were killed in protests against Congolese President Joseph Kabila, including 37 killed by security forces and six police officers killed by demonstrators.

The protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo started on Monday after the election commission decided to try to postpone the next presidential vote, due in November.

Kabila's opponents say the proposed delay is a manoeuvre to keep the president in power although ruling party politicians deny this. Kabila is barred constitutionally from running for a third term and his allies say he will respect the constitution.

With the unrest forcing schools to close and halting public transport in the sprawling riverside capital, the United Nations expressed fears the situation could worsen.

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Overnight, several people were killed when security forces burned down the headquarters of the main opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), and attacked buildings of other opposition parties, HRW Africa researcher for the New York-based group, Ida Sawyer, said.

17 people had been killed overnight and on Tuesday, while 20 had been killed on Monday, she said.

"Most were killed when security forces fired on crowds of protesters," she said.

"We've also received credible reports that protesters have killed at least six police officers and a [ruling party] PPRD supporter and they have also burned and looted several shops and police stations," Sawyer said.

The fire - a criminal act - started between 2am and 4am on Monday (1200-1300 NZ time), said opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi, a UDPS official and son of veteran opposition figure Etienne Tshisekedi, who lost to Kabila in a 2011 presidential run-off after five decades of active involvement in Congolese politics.

Congo has not had a peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

"We have on our hands seven dead and two people who were amputated: one at the arm and another at the leg, in the fire at our headquarters in Limete. There are also multiple people wounded at the hospital," Felix Tshisekedi told Reuters.

Tshisekedi, who has called for further protests, said: "We won't live with this barbarity. The people are angry." Witnesses said calm has returned to central Kinshasa by Tuesday afternoon, though there were reports of clashes in the suburbs.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende condemned the attack on the UDPS but denied security forces were involved.

Interior ministry spokesman Claude Pero Luwara told Reuters the death toll stood at 17 and said Human Rights Watch's statement was a "typical" exaggeration by the group. The ministry had earlier said three of those killed were policemen.

Kabila took power in 2001 when his father was assassinated but must step down in December.

His opponents fear he may follow the example of leaders in other African countries such as Burundi and Rwanda and change the constitution to extend his rule.

Tom Perriello, U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, said Washington would hold all sides accountable for their actions during the latest violence and that the government could easily have taken steps to defuse tension.

"Unfortunately, the pattern over the last year has been to dramatically reduce that open political space ... We have seen a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of Congolese people," he told a news conference in New York.

"We remain ready to impose additional targeted sanctions on individuals who have been involved in abuses or violence," said Perriello, who was verbally harassed and obstructed at Kinshasa airport as he left on Sunday.

Adding to the mix of disapproval, Congo's powerful Catholic church temporarily suspend its participation in talks between the government, some opposition parties and civil society groups over the election timetable, local media said.

Nearly 200 people were believed to have been arrested on Monday and the UN received reports of excessive use of force by security forces, UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva.

Congo is Africa's top copper producer but many Congolese people have yet to benefit from the country's mineral wealth.</s>KINSHASA, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Armed men set fire to the headquarters of one of Democratic Republic of Congo's main opposition parties early on Tuesday, a day after violent protests, the organisation said, leaving at least two people dead inside.

The uniformed attackers struck the morning after security forces had clashed with party members and other opposition activists protesting against what they say is a bid by President Joseph Kabila to extend his rule over Africa's top copper producer.

Two charred bodies could be seen inside the offices of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) in Kinshasa on Tuesday, next to empty gasoline cans strewn across the floor, a Reuters witness said.

"We were sleeping when men came and forced in the door ... I saw men in military uniform," said Jean Toumba, a UDPS member who had been sleeping in the building.

"They threw petrol and set fire to the office. I ran out to hide," he told Reuters. The armed men burst in to the office in the capital's Limete neighbourhood at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT), he added.

Witnesses had initially said three bodies were inside the building. However one was found to be alive, though he was badly burnt. Another person was also injured in the fire.

The UDPS is led by Etienne Tshisekedi, an opposition stalwart who lost against Kabila in a 2011 presidential run-off.

The party is one of the main political groupings calling for Kabila to step down when his term expires in December (Reporting by Kenny Katombe and Benoit Nyemba; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Andrew Heavens)</s>Kinshasa. The headquarters of three DR Congo opposition parties were torched overnight and early Tuesday, a day after deadly clashes between police and opponents of President Joseph Kabila, AFP journalists said.

At least two burnt bodies could be seen in the fire-ravaged offices of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), while two other people were burnt alive and one person injured, they said.

By 8:30 am flames were dying down at the headquarters of the Forces of Union and Solidarity (FONUS) and the Lumumbist Progressive Movement (MLP) in the north of the capital Kinshasa.

Fire was still raging at the UDPS building where a tearful woman in her 40s said that her husband had been there when unidentified assailants attacked the building.

“I’ve just put my husband’s body in the morgue. He was killed in the clashes,” she told AFP. The fresh violence came after a bloody day on Monday during which opposition groups said more than 50 people had died.

For its part, the government said that at least 17 had perished in the clashes but warned that the toll could rise further.

The opposition said that security forces fired live ammunition into protesters and urged supporters to pour onto the streets again to demand Kabila step down.

Monday’s violence started just before an opposition rally by demonstrators who fear Kabila -- who has ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 -- is planning to extend his rule unconstitutionally.

The clashes were the worst violence in the capital since January 2015 when a police crackdown on another opposition protest left several dozen people dead.

Kabila’s mandate ends on December 20 and although the constitution bans him from running again, he has made no effort to schedule elections, fuelling fears he will attempt to cling on to power.

In May, the Constitutional Court said Kabila could remain in office in a caretaker capacity until an election is held, triggering a wave of angry protests.

France and former colonial power Belgium have voiced concern over the unrest and urged political forces to organise an election quickly.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise a schedule for elections, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate in the talks which are due to end on Saturday. (AFP)</s>KINSHASA, Congo — More than 25 people have been killed in attacks on Congo opposition party headquarters and in street clashes between security forces and demonstrators against a delayed presidential election, an opposition leader said Tuesday.

Hundreds took to the streets of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, on Monday to oppose an election delay which they call an effort by President Joseph Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his mandate in late December.

A high court has determined Kabila can stay in office until a new leader is elected. The electoral commission has filed for a delay in elections that were scheduled for November, saying voter registration lists will not be ready.

The U.N. human rights office noted reports of "excessive use of force" by both security forces and demonstrators. Both sides denied responsibility for the violence.

More than 25 people have been killed, said Joseph Olengankoy, an organizer of Monday's protests. Interior minister Evariste Boshab has said 17 were killed, including at least three police officers.

At least two people were killed after attacks on the headquarters of five opposition parties late Monday, the U.N. and an opposition party said.

Bruno Tshibala, spokesman for the largest opposition party, said five were wounded in raids on four party headquarters.

Congo's government spokesman, Lambert Mende, condemned the burning of opposition party buildings as well as attacks on other buildings, including two ruling party buildings and a school, by opposition protesters.

Mende called on Congolese to regain their composure and let justice do its work.

"The government can only condemn this mob justice mentality," he said.

Kabila, who came to power after his father's assassination in 2001, has yet to announce whether he will pursue another term in office, though the constitution prohibits it.

The violence comes amid growing fears that the election delay could lead to prolonged unrest in Congo, a nation as vast in size as Western Europe. The mineral-rich but largely impoverished country suffered back-to-back civil wars until 2003, and previous instability has drawn in armies from countries.

Appeals for calm and restraint have been launched by the United Nations, Belgium, the U.S., France and the European Union, which also have called for a rapid organization of presidential elections.</s>A man shows his injuries on September 20, 2016 near the offices of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress party which were torched overnight in Kinshasa. By Junior D. Kannah (AFP)

Kinshasa (AFP) - Several people died in a second day of violence in DR Congo Tuesday, with three opposition HQ buildings torched in clashes between police and opponents of President Joseph Kabila.

The fresh violence came after a bloody day on Monday during which opposition groups said more than 50 people had died in protests calling for Kabila's resignation.

The government put the toll from the first day of clashes at 17 -- three policemen and 14 "looters".

Protesters attacked several police outposts for a second day running on Tuesday amid reports of looting.

The national secretary of the main opposition group blamed a regime "commando" unit for torching their offices after ruling party buildings were set ablaze on Monday.

"Does a normal state respond with reprisals?" said Felix Tshisekedi from the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). "We are facing a rogue state."

Gunfire was heard on Tuesday morning near the UDPS headquarters.

At least two burnt bodies could be seen in the fire-ravaged building. Two others were burned alive and another injured.

A tearful woman in her 40s said that her husband had been there when unidentified assailants attacked the building.

"I've just put my husband's body in the morgue," she told AFP.

Two other opposition parties -- the Forces of Union and Solidarity (FONUS) and the Lumumbist Progressive Movement (MLP) -- also saw arson attacks at their offices.

A FONUS member said that armed men in civilian clothes arrived at the office in a jeep, sprayed petrol and set the building on fire.

Jose Maria Arnaz, the director of the Joint Office of the United Nations for Human Rights in DR Congo, inspected the UDPS office to "investigate" the fire.

"We are seeing what we can do to reduce the political tensions and bring those responsible for deaths to justice," he told AFP.

Diplomatic and security sources as well as residents reported clashes between the police and youths in the central and southern districts of Kinshasa, a teeming city of some 10 million.

Most residents stayed home, accustomed to violence in the streets. Shops and schools were closed.

By Tuesday evening, calm seemed to be restored in most of the capital.

The violence broke out just before an opposition rally on Monday by demonstrators who fear Kabila -- who has ruled the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 -- is planning to extend his rule unconstitutionally.

Kabila's mandate ends on December 20 and although the constitution bans him from running for a third term, he has made no effort to schedule elections which would be practically impossible to organise in the vast country before the year is up.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise an elections schedule, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate.

On Tuesday, Catholic Church leaders vowed to stay away from the negotiating table in protest against the violence, "out of respect" for the victims.

And the African Union, which is mediating the so-called "national dialogue", said the talks would be suspended until Friday.

Church leaders also took a clear-cut position on Kabila's fate.

"It must be clearly stated and stipulated that the current president of the republic will not be a candidate in the next election, which must be held as soon as possible," the Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo said in a statement.

The opposition said security forces had fired live ammunition at protesters and urged supporters to pour onto the streets again to demand Kabila step down on schedule.

Human Rights Watch researcher Ida Sawyer said the monitor "received credible reports that security forces shot dead at least 20 people (on Monday) during Kinshasa protests against election delays".

The clashes were the worst violence in the capital since January 2015 when a police crackdown on another opposition protest left several dozen people dead.

In May, the Constitutional Court said Kabila could remain in office in a caretaker capacity until an election is held, triggering a wave of angry protests.

French President Francois Hollande, speaking in New York on Tuesday, urged DR Congo to hold elections on schedule, deploring the growing political violence.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise a schedule, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate in the talks.

A former Belgian colony, DR Congo has been wracked by unrest since independence in 1960 and has never known a peaceful transition of power.</s>KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — More than 44 people have been killed in Congo in two days of street clashes between security forces and protesters against a delayed presidential election, a senior Human Rights Watch researcher said Tuesday, and several opposition party buildings were burned.

Thousands took to the streets of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, on Monday to oppose an election delay which they call an effort by President Joseph Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his mandate in late December.

A high court has determined Kabila can stay in office until a new leader is elected. The electoral commission has filed for a delay in elections that were scheduled for November, saying voter registration lists will not be ready.

Gunshots could be heard Tuesday in Kinshasa as tensions rose.

Human Rights Watch has received credible reports from witnesses that security forces have killed at least 37 civilian, said senior Africa researcher Ida Sawyer.

“Most were killed when the security forces fired on crowds of protesters. Others were killed when the security forces burned down opposition party headquarters last night,” she said in an email.

Protesters killed at least six police officers and a supporter of Kabila’s party, she said, adding that demonstrators also burned and looted several shops and police stations.

The U.N. human rights office noted reports of “excessive use of force” by both security forces and demonstrators. Both sides denied responsibility for the violence.

An organizer of the opposition protests, Joseph Olengankoy, earlier had put the toll at more than 25 people killed. Interior minister Evariste Boshab had said 17 were killed, including at least three police officers.

At least two people were killed after attacks on the headquarters of five opposition parties late Monday, the U.N. and an opposition party said.

Bruno Tshibala, spokesman for the largest opposition party, said five were wounded in raids on four party headquarters.

“We will seek international justice,” he said.

Congo’s government spokesman, Lambert Mende, condemned the burning of opposition party buildings as well as attacks on other buildings, including two ruling party buildings and a school, by opposition protesters.

Mende called on Congolese to regain their composure and let justice do its work.

“The government can only condemn this mob justice mentality,” he said.

Kabila, who came to power after his father’s assassination in 2001, has yet to announce whether he will pursue another term in office, though the constitution prohibits it.

The violence comes amid growing fears that the election delay could lead to prolonged unrest in Congo, a nation as vast in size as Western Europe. The mineral-rich but largely impoverished country suffered back-to-back civil wars until 2003, and previous instability has drawn in armies from neighboring countries.

Appeals for calm and restraint have been launched by the United Nations, Belgium, the U.S., France and the European Union, which also have called for a rapid organization of presidential elections.

Amnesty International called on authorities to “take immediate steps to halt this escalating tension.”</s>Kinshasa. The headquarters of three DR Congo opposition parties were torched overnight and early Tuesday, a day after deadly clashes between police and opponents of President Joseph Kabila, AFP journalists said.

At least two burnt bodies could be seen in the fire-ravaged offices of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), while two other people were burnt alive and one person injured, they said.

By 8:30 am flames were dying down at the headquarters of the Forces of Union and Solidarity (FONUS) and the Lumumbist Progressive Movement (MLP) in the north of the capital Kinshasa.

Fire was still raging at the UDPS building where a tearful woman in her 40s said that her husband had been there when unidentified assailants attacked the building.

“I’ve just put my husband’s body in the morgue. He was killed in the clashes,” she told AFP. The fresh violence came after a bloody day on Monday during which opposition groups said more than 50 people had died.

For its part, the government said that at least 17 had perished in the clashes but warned that the toll could rise further.

The opposition said that security forces fired live ammunition into protesters and urged supporters to pour onto the streets again to demand Kabila step down.

Monday’s violence started just before an opposition rally by demonstrators who fear Kabila -- who has ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 -- is planning to extend his rule unconstitutionally.

The clashes were the worst violence in the capital since January 2015 when a police crackdown on another opposition protest left several dozen people dead.

Kabila’s mandate ends on December 20 and although the constitution bans him from running again, he has made no effort to schedule elections, fuelling fears he will attempt to cling on to power.

In May, the Constitutional Court said Kabila could remain in office in a caretaker capacity until an election is held, triggering a wave of angry protests.

France and former colonial power Belgium have voiced concern over the unrest and urged political forces to organise an election quickly.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise a schedule for elections, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate in the talks which are due to end on Saturday. (AFP)</s>Human Rights Watch senior researcher Ida Sawyer said that at least 44 people have died as political demonstrations turned violent.

Opponents of the government took to the streets earlier this week to protest the national electoral commission's failure to announce a timetable for the presidential election, due to take place in November.

Citing "credible reports," Sawyer said that 37 protesters have been killed since the protests began, six police officers and one supporter of ruling leader Joseph Kabila's party. CNN cannot independently verify the figure.

In a follow-up email, Sawyer said that "at least 37 (civilians have been killed) since the protests began, including 20 who were killed yesterday (September 19) and 17 who were killed last night and today (September 20)."

Opposition party headquarters were torched overnight Monday in retaliation over the protests, a government spokesman said. Lambert Mende Omalanga, minister of communication, told CNN: "We condemn revenge attacks as a manner of justice. We need calm from everyone." Opposition leader Martin Fayulu had called on the government to abide by the constitution and for President Joseph Kabila to step down on December 19. Fayulu posted a message on Twitter last week saying protesters should stage a sit-in in front of the elections commission Monday. A delay in the elections would allow Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his second term. But Omalanga dismissed calls from the opposition for Kabila to resign then, saying, "President Kabila will step down only when a new president is elected. "I don't think it is something credible. We are meeting in a national dialogue in order to organize free and fair elections," he told CNN. "Those who launched these so-called protests may be afraid of the outcome of any election that may be held," Omalanga said, adding that the situation was currently calm in Kinshasa. Opinion: Bandi Mbubi says only democracy can end violence The head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO, urged everyone "to exercise maximum restraint." "I call on the Congolese authorities to ensure that national security forces respect fundamental freedoms, and for the use of nonlethal force in crowd control in their response to protests. I also call on all concerned political leaders and their supporters to desist from undertaking any further acts that could continue to exacerbate the situation and heighten tensions," said MONUSCO's Maman Sambo Sidikou. #MONUSCO calls on all political actors in the #DRC to act with restraint https://t.co/3EueBf4CEd #RDC #19Septembre pic.twitter.com/4EFu49eRtq — MONUSCO (@MONUSCO) September 19, 2016 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the United States, France, former colonial power Belgium and the African Union also condemned the violence and called on the government to set an election date. "The timetable must be made available as swiftly as possible and the elections held with as little delay as possible," the French Foreign Ministry said. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said, "Today's events underscore the need for a truly inclusive dialogue process aimed at reaching consensus on holding presidential elections as soon as technically feasible and guaranteeing the country's first democratic transition of power." Kabila succeeded his father, Laurent Kabila, after his assassination in 2001. The central African nation hasn't had a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence in 1960.</s>At least two people were killed when armed men in uniform torched the headquarters of the main opposition party in Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, witnesses said, beginning a second day of violent protests.

Four other opposition party officies were set alight overnight, the United Nations said, after a day of street violence in which at least 17 people were killed.

A Reuters witness saw two charred bodies inside the burnt-out offices of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Congo’s main opposition party, next to empty gasoline cans. Two other people were badly injured, witnesses said.

The government, which is facing down protests against President Joseph Kabila, denied its forces were involved.

“We were sleeping when men came and forced in the door … I saw men in military uniform,” said UDPS member Jean Toumba, describing the attack on the Kinshasa office at around 3 am (0200 GMT).

“They threw petrol and set fire to the office. I ran out to hide.”

Protesters erected barricades and burned tyres for a second day after 17 people, including three policemen, were killed on Monday, according to the interior minister. The opposition said up to 53 people died.

Monday’s protest followed a decision by the election commission to seek to postpone the next presidential election, which was due to be held in November.

Kabila is barred by constitutional term limits for running again and his opponents say the election delay is a manoeuvre to keep him in power. The president’s allies deny this and say he will respect the constitution.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende condemned the attack on the UDPS but denied security forces were involved.

“It is completely false to say that the army was involved. That is propaganda and that sort of discourse increases the risk of civil war,” he said.

Felix Tshisekedi, the son of UDPS leader Etienne Tshisekedi who lost against Kabila in a 2011 presidential run-off and who has called for further protests, said: “We won’t live with this barbarity. The people are angry.”

With the unrest forcing schools to close and halting public transport in the sprawling riverside capital, the United Nations expressed fears the situation would worsen.

“I see this as a pivotal moment, there’s the possibility that the current political uncertainty could lead to serious political crisis. Well, that appears to be what’s happening now,” UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said.

Nearly 200 people were believed to have been arrested on Monday and the UN received reports of excessive use of force by security forces, Colville told reporters in Geneva.

Congo, Africa’s top copper producer, has never had a peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Diplomats and donors fear a repeat of civil wars that killed millions of people between 1996 and 2003 and drew in armies from half a dozen countries.
A day after street violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between protesters opposed to President Joseph Kabila and security forces left at least 44 dead, armed men in military uniforms burn down the headquarters of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) in Kinshasa, DR Congo, killing at least two people.