Police in south-western Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least eight members of a separatist religious sect, local activists said, escalating tensions in a normally peaceful part of a conflict-ravaged country.
The police opened fire on members of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) as they approached the morgue in the town of Kimpese to recover the bodies of fellow members killed in protests last month, Jonas Lukoki, the provincial co-ordinator of the New Civil Society, told Reuters.
“There were 12 deaths, including three children,” Lukoki said.
A police spokesman told Reuters several people were killed when BDK clashed with police in Kimpese but did not have further details.
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