A senior Muslim cleric in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been shot dead while praying in the main mosque in Beni city.
The gunman shot Sheikh Ali Amini during evening prayers on Saturday and then fled, a human rights activist said.
Reports say the cleric was a strong critic of Islamic militancy in the region.
Eastern DR Congo has been badly hit by instability, including attacks claimed by the Islamic State, IS group.
Many armed groups operate in eastern DR Congo, a legacy of the conflicts that gripped the region in the 1990s.
Sheikh Amini’s killing during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has caused a great deal of shock in Beni, a city with a population of about 200,000.
A prominent human rights activist in Beni, Stewart Muhindo, said this was the first such killing in the city.
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While it is unclear who was behind the attack, much of the violence in the area is carried out by a Muslim rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF.
Source: BBC
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
