Dozens of police and United Nations troops were deployed on Saturday in the centre of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after a call for protests transmitted by text message from supporters of presidential election loser Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Meanwhile, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said in an interview with a German newspaper he was "confident" that Bemba would accept his electoral defeat, announced on Wednesday, adding that European Union troops would leave the country on November 30.

On Saturday morning, several dozen police, some in anti-riot gear, were deployed at Kinshasa central station, a traditional point of departure for demonstrations, and at a roundabout near the headquarters of media belonging to Bemba, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported.

About one hundred others were on alert in front of the city centre's police station, exactly one week after a deadly armed clash near Bemba's official residence in the Gombe district.

Bemba's troops, as well as those of incumbent President Joseph Kabila, who won the second round of the election with 58,05% of the vote, already clashed over three days in mid-August in the same district.

Several armoured vehicles from the UN mission in DRC, Monuc, controlled a crossroads leading to Bemba's residence, where supporters had the previous evening called by text message for a gathering. Another text message calling for calm was sent around soon afterwards.

More armoured vehicles arrived in front of the residence early on Saturday to reinforce the usual security deployment.

There was no evidence of a gathering or other incident shortly before 10am GMT.

Bemba on Thursday rejected the provisional results of the elections and said he would use "all legal channels" to contest them.

He has until 4.30pm local time on Saturday to formally challenge the outcome of the vote. -- AFP