VZCZCXRO9742
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #0025 0111131
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111131Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7353
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1173

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM PINS PTER PREL CG
SUBJECT: VIOLENT CLASHES BETWEEN POLICE AND POLITICAL- RELIGIOUS 
SECT 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Clashes between police and members of the 
political-religious sect Bundia dia Kongo (BDK) on January 5 in 
Bas-Congo Province left at least six people dead and dozens more 
injured.  The violence is the latest manifestation of tension 
between the BDK and the Congolese government.  The BDK, a mysterious 
and secretive sect which mixes mysticism, political activism, and 
Bakongo nationalism, has as its stated goal the establishment of a 
"Bakongo Kingdom" encompassing Bas-Congo Province as well as parts 
of Angola, the Republic of the Congo-Brazzaville, and Gabon.  The 
ongoing tension presents still another challenge to the government 
of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its goal of achieving peace 
and unity in a country where the threat of ethnic separatism remains 
a reality.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On January 5, Congolese police clashed with supporters of the 
BDK in Vanga, Bas-Congo Province.  The BDK had apparently kidnapped 
a policeman in an attempt to force the release of BDK militants held 
by security forces.  When the police attempted to rescue their 
colleague, five BDK supporters were crushed under a police vehicle 
when they refused to get out of the way, and one agent of Congo's 
national intelligence agency (Agence Nationale de Renseignement) was 
also killed.  Other violent incidents in recent years involving the 
BDK and its supporters include clashes in January-February 2007 
following the BDK's protests against alleged corruption during 
gubernatorial elections which resulted in more than 100 deaths, 
violent protests in the port city of Matadi in 2006 over alleged 
favoritism in hiring shown to persons originating outside of 
Bas-Congo at the expense of natives, and clashes in July 2002 
following the BDK's refusal to cancel an unauthorized ceremony to 
celebrate the "40th anniversary of the Central Kongo Province 
Foundation" which killed approximately forty people. 
 
¶3.  (U) Comment:  While the BDK is small in numbers, with an 
estimated 200 hard-core members, it wields significant influence in 
Bas-Congo province due to the large number of BDK sympathizers and 
supporters among the Bakongo people, the largest ethnic group in 
Bas-Congo Province, and the fact that its spiritual leader, Ne 
Mwanda Nsemi, is an elected member of the National Assembly.  If the 
level of violence escalates, it could present a serious challenge to 
the central government, which is currently preoccupied with armed 
insurgencies in North Kivu.  The BDK's ethnocentric and separatist 
agenda is worrisome given the Congo's fragile national unity and 
history of attempted secession along ethnic lines.  End Comment. 
 
Garvelink