DR Congo troops 'regain control' after attacks

Congolese troops have regained control of key sites in the capital Kinshasa after an attack by gunmen, according to the government.

Gunfire was heard at a military base, the international airport and state TV headquarters where several people were taken hostage.

Supporters of religious leader Paul Joseph Mukungubila are said to be behind the attacks.

Further clashes erupted in the eastern mining city of Lubumbashi in the copper-rich Katanga province, where witnesses say soldiers attacked Mukungubila’s church.

Dozens of gunmen were killed as order was restored to Kinshasa, the government said.

Mukungubila, who calls himself ‘The prophet of the Eternal’, ran unsuccessfully for the presidency against Kabila in 2006.

He has been an outspoken critic of a peace deal signed this month with the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, accusing Kabila’s government of bowing to Tutsi interests and pressure from neighbouring Rwanda.