Congolese president's residence ransacked, torched

The country residence of President Joseph Kabila was burned down in an attack by suspected insurgents, UN radio reported Tuesday.

A police officer guarding the premises in North Kivu province was shot dead in the attack on Monday night.

It is thought Mai Mai fighters ransacked the property Musienene, which lies 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of Butembo, near the Ugandan border, before torching it.

Local official Joy Bokele confirmed the attack and said police were hunting the arsonists.

Police Cpl. John Njege told Anadolu Agency: "We suspect the attackers to be Mai Mai militiamen. They killed the policeman who was guarding the place and burnt his body."

Kabila, who has clung to power despite his final presidential term officially ending in December 2016, spends most of his time in capital Kinshasa but has a number of residences around the country.