Nearly 130 people died in a prison escape attempt in Congo
Of the 129 deceased, 24 inmates from Makala Prison in the capital Kinshasa were shot after warnings, while the rest were either trampled to death or suffocated, wrote the country's Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani, on social media platform X.
Le lundi 2 septembre 2024, une tentative d'évasion à la prison centrale de Makala a causé des pertes en vie humaines et d'importants dégâts matériels. Sur instruction de la Haute Hiérarchie, j'ai convoqué une réunion de crise avec les responsables des services de défense et de… pic.twitter.com/p9k93u8hyJ
— Jacquemain SHABANI L (@shabani_lukoo) September 2, 2024
The Minister reported that the incident occurred on the night of September 2, when a riot broke out in the prison. In addition to the fatalities, at least 59 people were injured, and there have been reports of several cases of rape involving female prisoners.
It remains unclear if any inmates managed to escape during the riot. According to local residents, gunfire was heard for several hours before security forces removed the bodies from the prison in vehicles.
The Interior Minister stated that significant material damage was caused to the penitentiary facility — the prison's administrative buildings, hospital, and food storage warehouse were completely burned down.
Makala Prison is the largest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is designed for 1,500 inmates, but currently houses between 14,000 and 15,000 people. Most of them are awaiting trial, according to the latest report from Amnesty International.