KINSHASA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Police in Democratic Republic of Congo arrested two soldiers on Thursday in connection with the murder of a Belgian citizen in the capital, Kinshasa, an embassy spokesman said.

Gunmen killed businessman Michel Hanse in his home in an affluent Kinshasa neighbourhood at about around 8.00 a.m. (7.00 GMT) and the two men were arrested shortly after.

"We know he was killed in the early morning at his home, and that two suspects have been arrested," Bernard Quentin, a Belgian diplomat told Reuters.

He said the two men, detained just minutes after the killing, were both soldiers and that one was a member of the Republican Guard, the elite unit in charge of protecting President Joseph Kabila.

Hanse was employed by Number One, a construction company owned by one of Kabila's personal pilots.

State prosecutor Tshimanga Mukeba confirmed the arrests, but neither he nor Quentin said they knew yet of any possible motive for the killings.

Violent crime including armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder are common in Congo's sprawling capital, which is home to an estimated 8 million inhabitants.

An atmosphere of impunity still prevails in much of the country despite the end of a war that left an estimated 4 million dead between 1998 and 2003. Rights campaigners including Human Rights Watch regularly criticise the army and police for continuing to commit grave human rights violations.

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