Congo police open fire on separatists in capital Kinshasa

Follow us on Social Media

Social sharing

By Aaron Ross and Benoit Nyemba

KINSHASA (Reuters) – Police in Democratic Republic of Congo launched an assault on the residence of the leader of a separatist religious sect in Kinshasa early on Tuesday and fired live ammunition and tear gas at his supporters, a Reuters witness said.

Violence has surged across Congo in recent weeks after President Joseph Kabila refused to step down when his constitutional mandate expired in December, raising fears the country could slide back into civil war.

Police have clashed with BDK members several times in the past few weeks in their native Kongo Central province in the southwest, but the spread of violence to Kinshasa, several hundred kilometres (miles) away, marks a serious escalation.

The assault on the home of Ne Muanda Nsemi, a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) sect, began around 4:30 a.m. (0330 GMT).

Dozens of police were involved in the operation and gunfire could be heard in the Ma Campagne district, where Musanda Nsemi lives, after daybreak but had stopped by around 11 a.m., witnesses said.

“Police operations are under way to extract the supporters of Honourable Muanda Nsemi from his residence,” police spokesman Colonel Pierre Mwanamputu said.

He blamed Muanda Nsemi’s supporters for an “armed insurrectional movement” on Monday afternoon in Ngiri Ngiri, in another district of Kinshasa. He said 22 people had been called in for questioning including eight people who were seriously injured in Monday’s clashes.

Basangana Ndunga, the president of BDK’s political wing, told Reuters that one of the group’s members had been shot dead in Ngiri Ngiri.

Residents think the operation against Muanda Nsemi may have been provoked by a video circulating on social media this week in which the BDK leader appears to threaten Kabila.

It was unclear whether the BDK supporters, who could be seen on the roofs of several buildings near Muanda Nsemi’s house in their distinctive white robes and red head-dress, were armed.

Nsemi founded BDK in the 1980s, seeking to revive the pre-colonial Kongo kingdom, which flourished for centuries around the mouth of the Congo river on central Africa’s Atlantic coast. It claims to have thousands of followers.

Security forces killed more than 300 BDK members and bystanders in crackdowns on sometimes violent protests in 2007 and 2008, rights groups say.

Sometimes bodies were dumped in the Congo River or buried secretly in mass graves, Human Rights Watch says.

(Writing by Emma Farge; Editing by Louise Ireland)

 

THE ROTTEN FISH: CAN OF WORMS OPENED OF APC & TINUBU'S GOVERNMENT OVER NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

WATCH THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND KNOW THE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES TO BLAME FOR NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, WHILE CITIZENS ENDURE SEVERE HARDSHIPS.

Watch this episode of ISSUES IN THE NEWS on 9News Nigeria featuring Peter Obi's Special Adviser, Dr Katch Ononuju, 9News Nigeria Publisher, Obinna Ejianya and Tinubu Support Group Leader, McHezekiah Eherechi

The economic crisis and hardship in Nigeria are parts of the discussion.


Watch, leave your comments, and share to create more awareness on this issue.


#9NewsNigeria #Nigeria #issuesInTheNews #politics #tinubu THE ROTTEN FISH: CAN OF WORMS OPENED ...
DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS FOR SUBSEQUENT UPDATES
#9newsnigeria #economia #economy #nigeria #government @9newsng
www.9newsng.com

Facebook comment

Click on the link below or Scan the QR Code to join the 9News Nigeria WhatsApp Channel

9News Nigeria Investigative Reports WhatsApp Channel
9News Nigeria Investigative Reports WhatsApp Channel
About 9News Nigeria 13416 Articles
9News Nigeria is Nigeria's favourite news source. For Authentic, Unbiased News on Politics, Business, Sports, Technology, Entertainment and Lifestyles, Health, Nollywood, Crime and Investigations, Family and Relationships, Inspirations .. and much more. For Latest News from Africa and around the world, 9News Nigeria is your best source. WhatsApp +2348115805632 Email: info@9newsng.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/9NewsNG | Twitter/Instagram: @9newsng