EU drone crashes in Kinshasa as Congo prepares for election

An unmanned EU drone crashed yesterday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, injuring five and setting a house on fire as the country prepared for the first democratic vote in over 40 years.

Some 1,500 EU troops are in the region alongside more than 17,000 UN soldiers - the largest peacekeeping force in the world.

The drone, sent to monitor today's vote, was on a test flight when it went out of control, said a statement by peacekeepers.

Much is at stake in the presidential and parliamentary elections, which come after more than a century of brutal colonial rule, dictatorship and civil war; but the month-long campaign has been marred by violence between demonstrators and riot police as well as shootings in the violent eastern regions.

In Kinshasa, rallies by the main opposition party, the UDPS, which is boycotting the election, have been broken up by riot police. A rally in support of warlord-turned-presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba last Thursday turned violent after an arson attack on one of his campaign buildings, with up to seven people reported killed in the chaos.

The polls open from 6am to 5pm today, amid fears that it will be impossible for all 25 million voters to cast their ballots in the time allowed. Foreign observers believe voting may not end until Tuesday.