Democratic Republic of Congo’s veteran opposition leader, Etienne Tshisekedi, has died in Brussels aged 84.

His party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress said on Wednesday that Tshisekedi had travelled to Belgium last week for medical checks.

“The information is confirmed. The (party) president is dead,” the spokesman for Tshisekedi’s Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party, Augustin Kabuya, told Reuters.

Mr Tshisekedi served as a minister under autocratic ruler Mobutu Sese Seko, he stood up to Mobuto who had ruled the country then known as Zaire, for  more than three decades , before he was overthrown by Rwanda, Uganda and other forces, Reuters reports.

He was also the main civilian opponent of Laurent Kabila, who took power in 1997, and his son, President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled since 2001.

Mr Tshisekedi was due to head a transitional council under a deal for President Joseph Kabila to step down this year.

According to Reuters, Mr Tshisekedi son, Felix, is tipped to be named prime minister in a forthcoming power-sharing government.

Police fired tear gas on Wednesday as supporters of Etienne Tshisekedi gathered to mourn in Kinshasa shortly after his death was announced, an AFP journalist said.

About 100 supporters were outside when security forces moved in, and dozens took refuge inside his party’s headquarters to escape the gas.