African Union calls on DRC to delay final election results

The African Union has called for the final announcement of last month's disputed presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to be suspended due to "serious doubts".

Those figures gave victory to one opposition candidate, Felix Tshisekedi, but another opponent of the current administration insists he won.

"The Heads of State and Government attending the meeting concluded that there were serious doubts on the conformity of the provisional results, as proclaimed by the National Independent Electoral Commission, with the votes cast," the AU said in a statement after a meeting at its headquarters in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

As a result, it has "called for the suspension of the proclamation of the final results of the elections".

The AU also agreed to urgently send "a high-level delegation" to the DRC's capital, Kinshasa, in an effort to find a way out of the political crisis.

Final results are due on Friday

The electoral commission said Tshisekedi had received 38.5% of the vote, compared to 34.7% for Fayulu. Ruling coalition candidate Emmanuel Shadary took 23.8%.

However, Fayulu alleges that Tshisekedi made a deal with President Kabila, who has been in office for 18 years.

Tshisekedi's team denies this.

If confirmed, the election result would create the first orderly transfer of power since DR Congo's independence from Belgium in 1960.

Fayulu filed an appeal in the Constitutional Court on Saturday demanding a manual recount.

A verdict is expected as early as Friday, and experts say there are three possible outcomes.

Meanwhile, the UN says ethnic violence in the west of the country left at least 890 people dead over just three days last month.

Clashes between the Banunu and Batende communities took place in four villages in the area of Yumbi between 16-18 December, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

Voting in the presidential election was postponed in Yumbi because of the violence.