Officials say 50 prisoners escaped from the main prison in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa early on Wednesday following an attack by supporters of jailed Christian cult leader Muanda Nsemi, the government spokesman said.
Government spokesperson Lambert Mende said that Nsemi, who was among the escapees, was arrested in March after a series of deadly clashes between his supporters and police.
NAN reports that on March 3, police in DRC arrested Nsemi in the capital Kinshasa following a two-week standoff in which least six of his supporters were killed.
Nsemi, who is also a member of parliament and leader of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK), was arrested at his residence along with his wife.
Nsemi, a self-styled prophet, has a strong following in the southwestern province of Kongo Central, which his supporters want to constitute part of a revived Kongo kingdom, which flourished for centuries around the mouth of the Congo river.
The violence has compounded wider tensions across Congo since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down after his mandate expired in December, raising fears of renewed civil war.
Mwanamputu declined to provide a death toll for the operation but witnesses told Reuters that police shot dead at least two BDK members on Friday when they ran at officers.
At least four others were killed in February when the police first raided Nsemi’s house in response to a series of deadly clashes between BDK supporters and police in Kongo Central.
