DRC: Cult leader escapes from Kinshasa prison May 17

Event

Heavy gunfire was reported on the morning of Wednesday, May 17, at the Makala central prison in the capital Kinshasa. According to a government spokesman, militiamen from the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) mystic-religious cult attacked the prison at approximately 04:00 (local time), allowing some 50 prisoners, including BDK leader Né Muanda Nsemi, to escape. Police forces were immediately deployed to secure the area.  Nsemi’s escape will likely trigger further tensions between the BDK and the government.

Context

Police arrested Nsémi and his wife following a violent standoff at their Kinshasa residence on March 3.

The BDK is a banned religious-cultural-political movement, created in 1969 by Mwanda Nsémi, which fights for the protection and interests of the Kongo people. The group bases their claims on the centuries-old Kongo Kingdom that was abolished by the Portuguese in 1914. 

In February, the BDK was accused of inciting violence and was targeted by security forces after Nsémi threatened the government in a video that has been circulated on social networks, in which he questioned the nationality of President Joseph Kabila and asked non-native people of Kongo-Central to leave the province.

Advice

Individuals present in Kinshasa are advised to monitor developments and avoid the vicinity of the prison until the situation has stabilized. 

More generally, individuals in the DRC are advised to exercise caution and maintain a low profile at all times. For various security reasons, a number of Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the east and northeast of the country.