Order has been restored in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after two days of fighting between security forces and fighters loyal to former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, the army said Friday.

In the address on state-run RTNC television, the chief of the army Lt Gen. Sungilanga Kisempia urged members of the militia to turn themselves in at the headquarters of the UN mission in Congo (MONUC).

The intensity of gunfire had significantly decreased Friday but could still be heard in the downtown area around the UN headquarters, local media reported.

Bemba surrendered himself at MONUC's headquarters Friday after leaving the South African Embassy where he had sought refuge after his supporters first clashed with government troops Thursday, a source told Xinhua.

Around 80 of Bemba's bodyguards also surrendered individually, according to the source.

In a statement released Friday, MONUC deplored the deaths of at least 60 people in the clashes, saying it "deeply regrets the fact that force was used in order to resolve a situation that could and should have been settled through dialogue."

It called for a peaceful security situation in Kinshasa, while vowing to take "any necessary measures" to protect the civilian population.

The fighting began Thursday when troops loyal to Bemba, who lost an election to President Joseph Kabila last year, defied a government order to disarm.

Bemba, a senator who holds immunity from prosecution, has accused the government of trying to kill him to cripple his opposition coalition.

Source: Xinhua