DRC election violence troubles U.N.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The United Nations called for calm in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after presidential supporters attacked the opposition's headquarters.

Armed supporters of DRC President Joseph Kabila's People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy stormed the Kinshasa headquarters of the opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress this week.

Arsonists had earlier attacked Kabila's party headquarters.

The U.N. Stabilization Mission in the DRC called on all parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiation table.

"The mission firmly condemns these incidents and calls on all parties involved in the electoral process to show restraint and to do every effort to avoid any act that could jeopardize the smooth operation of the elections," the mission said in a statement.

Voters in the DRC head to the polls for presidential elections in November. Officials at the country's Independent National Electoral Commission said more than 31 million people, about 6 million more than in 2006, registered for this year's vote.

Kabila will likely square off against rivals including the country's former House Speaker Vital Kamerhe.

Militants with the Lord's Resistance Army operate along the border with the DRC, Uganda, Central African Republic and South Sudan. In a July travel warning, the U.S. State Department said elements within the Congolese military and rebel forces pose a significant security threat.