US sends troops for possible 'violent' Congo vote protests

On the eve of the first expected results of Congo's long-delayed presidential election, US President Donald Trump said military personnel had deployed to the region for possible "violent demonstrations," while the country's powerful Catholic church warned of a popular "uprising" if untrue results are announced.

Congo faces what could be its first democratic, peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960, but election observers and the opposition have raised numerous concerns about voting irregularities as the country chooses a successor to longtime President Joseph Kabila.

The first results are expected on Sunday, and the United States and the African Union, among others, have urged Congo to release results that reflect the true will of the people. The US has threatened sanctions against those who undermine the democratic process.

Western election observers were not invited to watch the vote.

The Catholic church, an influential voice in the heavily Catholic nation, caused surprise on Thursday by announcing that data reported by its 40,000 election observers deployed in all polling stations show a clear winner. As regulations say only the electoral commission can announce election results, the church did not announce a name.

The electoral commission responded by saying the church's announcement could incite an "uprising." Congo's ruling party, which backs Kabila's preferred candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, called the church's attitude "irresponsible and anarchist."