The BBC’s Poly Muzalia in Kinshasa has been snapping photos of the protesters in the capital, Kinshasa:

The AFP news agency reports that in a rare gesture, the authorities gave permission for the marches, but it reports that the security forces are deployed in strength in major cities nationwide.

President Joseph Kabila was supposed to have stepped down nearly two years ago when his second term in office ended, but as elections were postponed, his time in power has been extended.

Ahead of December’s long-delayed vote, two key opposition candidates, Jean Pierre Bemba and Moise Katumbi, have been barred from running.

They have both asked their supporters to turn out in force to protest against the South Korean voting machines.

The AFP quoted Mr Bemba as saying they should march against "the greatest electoral fraud ever with electronic machines that have not been tested anywhere in the world”.