AFRICA/DR CONGO - Rebellion or attempted escape: at least 129 dead in the overcrowded prison in Makala

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The Makala central prison in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been described as a "time bomb", where at least 129 prisoners were killed during an escape attempt on the night of September 1-2. "The provisional death toll is 129, of whom 24 died from gunshots after warning shots were fired," confirms Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani in a video. "The rest were trampled to death or suffocated while trying to escape, while some women were raped," added Shabani, who also reported 59 wounded who "were rescued by the authorities to provide them with appropriate care." Part of the prison buildings, including the infirmary, were set on fire. The question arises whether this is a mass escape or an internal revolt against the appalling conditions in which prisoners are forced to live.
Makala houses ten times the planned capacity of prisoners. In fact, 15,000 prisoners are held there, although the prison was built for 1,500 inmates. Of these 15,000, only about 3,000 are serving their final sentence, the others are awaiting trial. Among them are journalists and opponents of the incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi.
The largest prison in the country is not only overcrowded, but also suffers from catastrophic hygienic conditions, dilapidated infrastructure, insecurity and promiscuity among inmates, lack of respect for basic human rights and poor and low quality nutrition. The internal security of the prison is ensured by the prisoners themselves, the State only controls the outer wall of the prison to prevent escapes or attacks from outside. In each pavilion there are "governments" run by the prisoners, where the law of the strongest prevails. The prison had already suffered significant damage in an attack by armed men in 2017, in which more than 4,000 prisoners escaped, an attack that was never solved by the Congolese authorities. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/9/2024)

Share:

prisoners

---

---

violence

---

---