A self-proclaimed prophet of a separatist sect in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ne Muanda Nsemi, has been arrested.
Nsemi, who headed the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) sect and who has been blamed for several deadly attacks, was arrested in a raid on his home in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. Hundreds of security force personnel were involved in the arrest.
A police tweet following the hours-long siege on Friday simply read “Mission accomplished”.
According to a statement from the DRC’s Ministry of Interior, eight people were killed, another 35 injured, and 168 were arrested during the operation.
An eyewitness told the AFP that he had seen 15 bodies following the police action, and many more injured. Aside from the main objective, to revive the ancient Kongo kingdom, the BDK’s agenda has two components. The first will see the elimination of borders created by colonialism, with the second being the rehabilitation of the spiritual and historical heritage of the ancestors.
Clashes between the sect and police have been frequent, with about 20 sect members and police personnel killed since 13 April.
In March, a group of BDK members in Kinshasa defied coronavirus regulations banning gatherings of more than 20 people, and were subsequently arrested. The BDK website indicates that Nsemi, who was a member of parliament for Kinshasa’s Funa district and had proclaimed himself the country’s president in what he termed a “divine coup”, is the group’s “supreme leader”. Nsemi had previously been detained in 2017 for inciting tribal tensions.
