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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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.