07 Aug 2017 | 08:36 PM UTC
DRC: Security forces kill 14 BDK members in Kinshasa and Matadi August 7 /update 1
Police officials claim that 14 members of the separatist Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) cult were killed in clashes with security forces in Kinshasa and Matadi on Aug. 7; social media access limited effective Aug. 8
Event
Security sources said that police officers clashed with members of the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) separatist cult in Kinshasa and Matadi on Monday, August 7. The fighting began when BDK fighters reportedly stormed the Makala central prison in Kinshasa, but were repelled by the guards. Gunmen also assaulted three police stations in the Kinshasa districts of Limete, Matete, and Kalamu. Additional attacks took place in the southern town of Matadi. According to police officials, 14 BDK militants were killed along with one Congolese police officer in the clashes. The situation had reportedly been contained and conditions returned to normal as of Monday evening.
Following the clashes, a senior telecommunications official said that the government has ordered internet services to be reduced on Tuesday, August 8, and Wednesday, August 9, in order to prevent the BDK from posting images to social media. Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, and Twitter are all affected by the imposed internet slowdown.
Context
The BDK is a banned religious-cultural-political movement, created in 1969 by Ne 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. Police arrested Nsémi and his wife following a violent standoff at their Kinshasa residence on March 3. On May 17, Militiamen from the BDK cult carried out an attack against the Makala central prison, allowing Nsémi to escape along with 4600 other detainees.
Advice
Individuals present in the Kinshasa are advised to avoid the above areas in the coming hours, monitor the situation, maintain a high degree of situational awareness, and avoid all rallies and demonstrations due to the risk of violence.
More generally, a number of Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the east and northeast of the country for various security reasons.
