Supporters of a jailed Christian sect leader on Wednesday attacked the prison holding him in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) capital, Kinshasa, freeing him and about 50 other inmates, according to officials.

Ne Muanda Nsemi - a self-styled prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo movement - was arrested in March after a series of deadly clashes between his supporters and police.

Witnesses told the Reuters news agency that gunfire was heard coming from near Makala prison in Kinshasa at around 4am local time (03:00 GMT), and that they saw prisoners wearing blue shirts with yellow collars in the streets.

Soldiers were also stopping young men for questioning near Nsemi's house in the Kinshasa district of Ngaliema and arrested some of them.

Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe told a local radio station that, aside from Nsemi, the prison's most prominent prisoners had not managed to escape.

Nsemi has a strong following in southwestern DRC and wants to revive the Kongo kingdom, which flourished for centuries around the mouth of the Congo River.</s>Gunmen from a Christian sect have stormed a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, freeing their leader and about 50 other inmates, a government spokesman says.

Shots were fired and vehicles torched as Ne Muanda Nsemi was freed from the jail in Kinshasa, witnesses said.

Police are suspected to have shot dead several prisoners, witnesses added.

Mr Nsemi is a self-styled prophet and the leader of an outlawed group seeking to revive the ancient Kongo kingdom.

He was arrested, along with his three wives and son, in March following clashes between his supporters and police.

Mr Nsemi leads the Bundu dia Kongo movement, which is campaigning to restore a monarchy in parts of DR Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Angola and Gabon.

He was an MP when he was arrested in Kinshasa after police accused him of inciting violence.

“Followers of the Bundu Dia Kongo attacked Makala prison at dawn and broke out around 50 prisoners including their guru, Ne Muanda Nsemi,” government spokesman Lambert Mende said, AFP news agency reports.

A major operation is underway in Kinshasa to recapture the prisoners, reports the BBC’s Mbelechi Msoshi from the city.

He saw Red Cross officials loading the bodies of several prisoners into vehicles and and transporting them to the morgue.

In January 2016, every prisoner except one escaped from a jail in eastern DR Congo. They included murder and rape convicts.

Rights groups say prisons in the country are over-crowded and badly guarded. BBC News</s>KINSHASA: Supporters of a jailed Christian sect leader attacked the prison holding him in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, freeing him and about 50 other inmates early on Wednesday, the government spokesman said.

Ne Muanda Nsemi - a self-styled prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo movement - was arrested in March after a series of deadly clashes between his supporters and police, government spokesman Lambert Mende said.

Witnesses said they had heard gunfire coming from near Makala prison at around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) and saw prisoners wearing blue shirts with yellow collars in the streets.

Soldiers were also stopping young men for questioning near Nsemi's house in the Kinshasa district of Ngaliema and arresting some of them, a Reuters witness said.

Justice minister Alexis Thambwe told a local radio station that, aside from Nsemi, the prison's most prominent prisoners had not managed to escape.

Nsemi has a strong follow following in southwestern Congo and wants to revive the Kongo kingdom, which flourished for centuries around the mouth of the Congo River.</s>KINSHASA, May 17 (Reuters) - Supporters of a jailed Christian sect leader on Wednesday attacked the prison in the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo where he was being held, freeing him and about 50 other inmates, the government said.

A police officer and five attackers were killed in the raid on Kinshasa's Makala prison, said government spokesman Lambert Mende, who gave no further details.

Ne Muanda Nsemi, a self-styled Congolese prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo movement, was arrested in March after a series of deadly clashes between his supporters and police.

The clashes have compounded tensions since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down when his mandate expired in December and added to fears of instability and civil conflict.

Residents heard gunfire near the prison at around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) and saw prisoners wearing blue shirts with yellow collars in the streets.

One prisoner, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters more than 4,000 inmates had escaped, roughly half the population. But aside from Nsemi, the most prominent prisoners had not escaped.

These include opposition leaders, war criminals convicted by the International Criminal Court and soldiers convicted in the assassination of former president Laurent Kabila.

The prisoner said the attackers, armed with batons and three AK-47 rifles, easily overpowered the guards who he said had been drinking heavily.

A former prisoner, who said he had spoken to guards and escaped prisoners, also said more than half of the prisoners had escaped.

The United Nations warned its staff to avoid non-essential movement around Kinshasa, saying the situation was calm but unpredictable.

Soldiers stopped young men for questioning near Nsemi's house in the city's Ngaliema district and arrested some of them, a Reuters witness said.

The president of Bundu dia Kongo's political wing could not be reached for comment. A spokesman told the website actualite.cd that the group had no role in the attack and that he did not know Nsemi's whereabouts.

Nsemi has a strong following in southwestern Congo and wants to revive the Kongo kingdom, which flourished for centuries around the mouth of the Congo River.

At least six of Nsemi's supporters were killed earlier this year during the two-week standoff at his Kinshasa residence that led to his capture. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Additional reporting by Benoit Nyemba; Editing by Tom Heneghan)</s>KINSHASA, CONGO—Christian sect members stormed a prison in Congo’s capital Wednesday, freeing the leader of their movement and 50 others, Congo’s justice minister said.

Bundu dia Kongo movement leader Ne Mwanda Nsemi is now on the run after a 4 a.m. attack on Malaka prison in Kinshasa, Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba told local radio station Top Congo FM.

Gunfire could be heard in the morning, but the justice minister said the situation is now under control.

“Security force members who were sent as reinforcements have entered the prison,” he said. “Ne Mwanda Nsemi is on the run, but we will soon get our hands on him.”

Ne Mwanda Nsemi was arrested in March, along with many followers, after clashes between them and police. He has a strong following in southwestern Congo.</s>More than 3,000 prisoners are believed to have escaped the main prison in Democratic Republic of Congo, security sources have told the BBC.

The authorities say only around 50 prisoners got away when armed men attacked the prison on Wednesday.

The security sources also said dozens of people were killed during the attack on Makala prison.

Ne Muanda Nsemi, leader of the political-religious sect Bundu Dia Kongo, is among those who escaped.

The authorities accuse supporters of Mr Nsemi’s supporters of being behind the attack.

Mr Nsemi is a self-styled prophet seeking to revive the ancient Kongo kingdom.

Bundu Dia Kongo is campaigning to restore a monarchy in parts of DR Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Angola and Gabon.

Mr Nsemi was an MP when he was arrested in Kinshasa after police accused him of inciting violence.

Ne Muanda Nsemi: The man behind the unrest
• Former chemistry professor at the University of Kinshasa
• Comes from the minority Bakongo ethnic group
• Claims to have received a revelation from the “Archangel of the Kongo” in 1969
• Wants to re-establish the Kongo kingdom that once straddled four modern-day states.
• Elected to parliament in 2006 as an independent
• Formed the Bundu dia Mayala political party in 2010 after BDK banned
• Arrested in March after security forces besiege his home for two weeks
• Escapes from jail on 17 May</s>KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Christian sect members stormed a prison in Congo’s capital Wednesday, freeing the leader of their movement and 50 others, Congo’s justice minister said.

Bundu dia Kongo movement leader Ne Mwanda Nsemi is now on the run after a 4 a.m. attack on the prison in Kinshasa, Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba told local radio station TOP CONGO FM.

Gunfire could be heard in the morning, but the justice minister said the situation is now under control.

“Security force members who were sent as reinforcements have entered the prison,” he said. “Ne Mwanda Nsemi is on the run, but we will soon get our hands on him.”

Ne Mwanda Nsemi was arrested in March, along with many followers, after clashes between them and police. He has a strong following in southwestern Congo.

Ne Mwanda Nsemi has led the sect since 1986. The group says it seeks the rehabilitation of the pre-colonial Kongo kingdom. Clashes between the sect and police in 2008 saw hundreds killed in Bas-Congo province.</s>Supporters of a Christian sect leader stormed a prison in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and set their leader free along with other inmates.

The Congolese government confirmed that followers of jailed Christian sect leader Ne Muanda Nsemi attacked the Makala prison in Kinshasa and were successful in liberating the head of their sect, Reuters reported.

Nsemi, head of the Bundu dia Kongo movement and a self-proclaimed prophet, was imprisoned following his arrest in March, which saw his supporters clashing with the police.

The raid happened early morning when gunmen fired shots and torched some vehicles in the prison facility. The attackers, who were armed with AK-47 rifles and batons, quickly overpowered the facility's guards who were suspected to be under the influence of alcohol.

Inmates who were interviewed after the incident recalled seeing some prisoners in blue shirts running in the streets away from the facility.

Five of the attackers were killed along with one policeman in the ensuing gunbattle.

It is estimated that around 4,000 or half of the facility's population escaped, said a prisoner who witnessed the incident. However, sect leader Nsemi was the only high-profile inmate who managed to escape.

Prison security officers reportedly fired at prisoners running loose inside the facility to stop them from escaping, BBC reported.

Justice Minister Alexis Thambew Mwamba confirmed to radio station Top Congo FM that while there were indeed gunshots fired during the incident, the security officers were in full control of the situation.

"Security force members who were sent as reinforcements have entered the prison," said the minister. "New Mwanda Nsemi is on the run, but we will soon get our hands on him."

The head of Bundu dia Kongo has led the sect since 1986, ABC News reported. Its objective is to reinstate the kingdom of pre-colonial Congo in some parts of the Democratic Republic, Angola, Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville.</s>Rebels from an outlawed political-religious group attacked Kinshasa’s central prison on Wednesday, breaking out their leader and about 50 other prisoners, the Congolese government said.

“Followers of the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) attacked Makala prison at dawn and broke out around 50 prisoners including their guru, Ne Muanda Nsemi,” government spokesman Lambert Mende said, indicating that police had given chase.

A lawmaker, Nsemi is the spiritual leader of a movement which has called for an insurrection against Kinshasa.

The government has accused BDK followers of a string of violent attacks in western DR Congo since the start of the year.

Nsemi was arrested in early March following a violent two-week siege of his home in Kinshasa, DR Congo’s capital.

His three wives and son were also detained.

BDK stands for “Kingdom of the Kongo” in the Kikongo language, and its members want to restore an African monarchy that once included what is today Kongo Central (formerly Bas-Congo) along with parts of Angola, the Republic of Congo and Gabon.

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>Rebels from an outlawed political-religious group attacked Kinshasa's central prison on Wednesday, breaking out their leader and about 50 other prisoners, the Congolese government said.

"Followers of the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) attacked Makala prison at dawn and broke out around 50 prisoners including their guru, Ne Muanda Nsemi," government spokesman Lambert Mende said, indicating that police had given chase.

According to a local resident, the attack began just before dawn when there were "prolonged exchanges of fire".

One of the prisoners on the run told AFP he had managed to escape during violent clashes between the attackers and the prison guards.

A lawmaker, Nsemi is the spiritual leader of the BDK which has called for an insurrection against Kinshasa.

He was arrested along with his three wives and son in early March following a violent two-week siege of his home in Kinshasa, DR Congo's capital.

The government has accused BDK followers of a string of violent attacks in western DR Congo since the start of the year.

By around 8:30 am (0730 GMT), a column of thick black smoke could be seen rising over Makala prison, with dozens of police and soldiers blocking off all access to the facility.

The dramatic assault took place as DR Congo marks 20 years since the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country -- which was then known as Zaire -- with an iron fist for more than three decades.

Mobutu was ousted by rebel chief Laurent-Desire Kabila, father of the embattled current president Joseph Kabila.

BDK stands for "Kingdom of the Kongo" in the Kikongo language, and its members want to restore an African monarchy that once included what is today Kongo Central (formerly Bas-Congo) along with parts of Angola, the Republic of Congo and Gabon.
Bundu dia Kongo followers free their leader and 50 other inmates with an attack on the Makala jail of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.