Three people were beheaded in the central Kasai region in the Democratic Republic of Congo over weekend while campaigning for the ruling party’s presidential candidate, the AFP news agency reports, citing relatives and party officials.

They were wearing People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) T-shirts showing the face of candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a son of the one of the victims told AFP.

Long-delayed elections are scheduled to take place in DR Congo on 23 December when President Joseph Kabila, in power for 18 years, will step down.

Official campaigning kicks off on Thursday and Amnesty International has warned that a hostile environment leaves little room for people to exercise their human rights.

Joan Nyanyuki, from Amnesty International, said in a statement:

The authorities’ determination to silence dissent couldn’t be more evident through their ceaseless silencing of any kind of criticism or public demand, whether it touches on the country’s dire security situation, social grievances or the ongoing electoral process."

The Kasai region, once one of the most prosperous and peaceful in DR Congo, descended into violence in 2016.

Long-simmering resentment exploded into rebellion against the government.