Agreement to end Congo fighting

The fighting has prompted some residents to flee Kinshasa

The United Nations has brokered a deal to end three days of unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Joseph Kabila and his rival Jean-Pierre Bemba have ordered their supporters to stop fighting.

Armed supporters of the two presidential candidates began shooting in the capital Kinshasa on Sunday.

Several hundred soldiers from European Union countries, stationed in nearby Gabon, have arrived in Kinshasa to reinforce UN peacekeepers.

The head of the armed forces has ordered all government troops to return to their barracks.

Mr Bemba, a vice-president in the national unity government, has ordered his supporters withdraw to their original positions.

HAVE YOUR SAY Kabila and Bemba should both understand that its time for the people to speak Dan, Kinshasa Send us your comments

Clashes broke out on Sunday when officials announced that a run-off vote between President Kabila and Mr Bemba would be necessary.

Neither candidate won more than the required minimum of 50% of the votes in the 30 July election needed for outright victory.

After the announcement, armed members of Mr Kabila's presidential guard repeatedly clashed with soldiers loyal to Mr Bemba.

Most of the heavy fighting appeared to have died down by late afternoon on Tuesday.

DR CONGO RESULTS BY PROVINCE NATIONALLY: Joseph Kabila: 45% Jean-Pierre Bemba: 20% Antoine Gizenga: 13% Nzanga Mobutu: 5% Oscar Kashala: 4% Turnout: 70% Source: CEI Violence in pictures Fighting mars peaceful poll

Troops from half-a-dozen EU countries and members of the UN peacekeeping force - the world's largest - are patrolling the streets of Kinshasa.

Mr Bemba's spokesman Germain Kabinga told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the opposition leader was still committed to the run-off but that the UN should create a buffer zone between the two camps.

"We really want to go to the second round. We don't want to restart the war," he said.

Mr Bemba is a former rebel leader and retains his own personal security force but is now under UN protection.

Sunday's clashes left at least five people dead, according to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and there are reports at least three more deaths since then.

Fraud claims

Mr Kabila took 45% of the vote, just short of the 50% needed for outright victory, while Mr Bemba gained 20%.

Much of the fighting appeared to have died down by late Tueday

After the election results were declared, Mr Kabila appeared on state TV, saying he had won a "great victory".

Some of his rivals, including those from Mr Bemba's party, say there was widespread fraud in the elections.

The 30 July election was the first democratic poll to be held in the country since it gained independence in 1960 and follows the official end of a five-year conflict, which dragged in several other African countries and led to the death of more than 3m people.

The results show a regional division in DR Congo, a country two-thirds the size of western Europe.

Mr Bemba won most votes in the west of the country, while Mr Kabila gained most support in the Swahili-speaking east.