Security forces have shot dead at least 26 protesters who had gathered in the streets of Kinshasa and other cities of Democratic Republic of Congo to demand that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired overnight.
Scattered protests began on Tuesday and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila, who has remained in power beyond his constitutional mandate with no election to pick a successor.
Human Rights Watch researcher Ida Sawyer said on Twitter that at least 26 people were killed by security forces.
The government spokesman could not be reached for comment and a police spokesman had no information on deaths.
Gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital, Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent raised fears of bloody repression.
With a ban on demonstrations in force and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa's normally busy main boulevards were mostly deserted as pockets of youths gathered in sidestreets only to be dispersed by volleys of teargas.
By sunset, the city was calm, although littered with debris from earlier rioting. Youths played football in the streets.
Scores of people were arrested, especially in the eastern city of Goma, rights groups said.
"I'm gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views," the head of the UN mission, Maman Sidikou, said in a statement, adding that UN staff had not been able to consistently gain access to jails to gather information on how many people had been arrested.
He called on Congo to end "politically motivated detentions".
UN peacekeepers in armoured personnel carriers patrolled the streets at one point cheered on by a crowd shouting: "Kabila, know that your mandate is finished!"
Kabila, who has ruled since his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001, rarely speaks about the issue in public, but his allies say the election was delayed because of logistical and financial problems. The constitutional court has ruled Kabila can stay on until the vote takes place.
