An attempted jailbreak at the main prison in the Democratic Republic of the Congo left around 129 people dead on Monday. Most of the people died in a stampede that followed the prison-break attempt at Makala Central Prison in capital Kinshasa. A provisional assessment revealed that 24 inmates were hit by “warning” gunshots when they attempted to flee the overcrowded Makala Central Prison, Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said on the social platform X, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).
Shabani said there were 59 injured people, adding that there were some cases of women being raped as well. He added that order had been restored at the prison, part of which was burned in the attack. There were no signs of forced entry into the prison, which is located 5 km away from the presidential palace.
Makala, Congo’s largest prison, has a capacity of 1,500 people but holds over 12,000 inmates. Most of them are awaiting trial, according to AP, which cited Amnesty International estimates. There are previous records of jailbreaks, which include a 2017 attack by a religious sect that freed dozens.
Local residents reported that gunfire inside the prison began around midnight on Sunday and continued until Monday morning. The road to the prison was subsequently cordoned off while the authorities convened a panel to investigate the incident.
Purported videos from the prison showed several bodies lying on the ground, many of them with visible injuries. In another video, inmates were seen carrying people who appeared to be dead into a vehicle, reported AP.
Mbemba Kabuya, the Deputy Justice Minister, said on local radio that the escape was planned by the inmates in one of the wings.
Justice Minister Constant Mutamba called the attack a “premeditated act of sabotage", adding that those who “instigated these acts of sabotage... will receive a stern response". He also banned the transfer of inmates from the prison, and said the authorities would build a new prison, among other efforts to reduce overcrowding.