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KINSHASA , Congo -- At least 11 people were killed in a stadium riot in eastern Congo after a soccer player tried to use witchcraft to win a local match, U.N.-backed Radio Okapi reported on Monday.
Nyuki club was losing to local rivals Socozaki on Sunday when Nyuki's goalkeeper advanced up the field and tried to use "fetishist" spells to turn the tide of the match, Okapi said, without giving more details.
When a police commander tried to break up an ensuing brawl between rival players, members of the crowd pelted him with rocks, the radio added.
Police fired teargas in response, causing a stampede to the exits in which 11 people were killed and several injured, Okapi said.
As elsewhere in Africa, many Congolese hold traditional animist beliefs and use spells, fetishes and charms to practise witchcraft, often combined with other religions like Christianity or Islam.
Sunday's riot happened in Butembo, in North Kivu province, where fighting between the army and rebels has raged on despite the official end of a 1998-2003 war that has killed an estimated 5.4 million people through violence, hunger and disease.
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