Thousands of soldiers are marching through the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a show of force in support of President Felix Tshisekedi, just days after reports of a failed coup plot.

The authorities have described the march by armed soldiers from the elite Republican Guard as an endurance exercise.

However, the extremely rare sight on the streets of Kinshasa is intended to send out the message that the country is in safe hands, correspondents say.

Last Saturday President Tshisekedi’s chief security adviser Francois Beya was arrested on suspicion of destabilising the country’s democratic institutions.

-BBC-