A southern African regional bloc has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) disputed presidential election, as a court in Kinshasa began hearing an appeal against the results announced last week.

In a unanimous statement, the Council "stressed the need for all concerned stakeholders to act in a way that reaffirms the integrity of the electoral process and respects the outcome of the poll, upholds democracy and preserves peace in the country".