President Laurent Kabila's son, Joseph, in charge of the government and armed forces in the Congo Wednesday, a day after Kabila was apparently shot and killed during a coup attempt Tuesday.

Congolese officials have yet to definitively confirm their leader is dead, but officials from other governments have said he died following a shootout at the presidential palace.

The Belgian government said Kabila was shot by his bodyguards.

Laurent Kabila

Belgian foreign ministry spokesman Koen Vervaeke said Kabila died from his wounds after being hit by two bullets.

The French foreign ministry has also confirmed Kabila's death.

Shortly after the gunfire erupted, government officials ordered all airports and borders closed, and announced an overnight curfew.

With the country now sealed and phone service cut off, it was not clear who was in control.

But reports say large numbers of troops in armoured vehicles and on foot are patrolling the streets around the president's hilltop residence, known as the Marble Palace.

Kabila took control of Congo – formerly known as Zaire – during a coup in 1997, ousting dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

Welcomed at first, Kabila eventually lost the support of his key allies, neighbouring countries Uganda and Rwanda. They now support the rebels who have been fighting to overthrow Kabila since August 1998.

Peace accord did not stop the fighting

Kabila's government signed a peace accord with the rebels in 1999, but the fighting has continued, with each side blaming the other for violating the truce.

The war has displaced up to two million people. Nearly 250,000 others have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.