On 2 September 2024, an attempted

jailbreak A prison escape (also referred to as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, jail escape or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorit ...

Makala Central Prison Makala Central Prison (), or Makala Prison (, ), is the biggest prison in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in its capital city, Kinshasa. It is located in the city center, from the presidential palace. Makala Prison is loca ...

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, resulted in the deaths of at least 129 people and more than 59 other injuries. A prison official said that no inmates escaped, but inmates and human rights groups said that there were around 2,000 fewer prisoners in the facility immediately after the incident. Part of the prison was set on fire.

Background

Makala Central Prison, the biggest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has capacity for 1,500 prisoners and holds both male and female prisoners. However, it is highly overcrowded, housing between 14,000 and 15,000 inmates. In 2020, it was estimated that more than 90% of the people held at the prison were awaiting trial, and only 6% were actually serving sentences. Jailbreaks are common in the DRC. In 2017, another prison break occurred at Makala prison, which led to more than 4,000 prisoners escaping.

Attempted jailbreak

Local residents and inmates reported that gunfire inside the prison started on 1 September in Block 4 following a power outage inside the facility that started at 21:00 and lasted into the morning of 2 September. Congolese Interior Minister said that 24 inmates were fatally shot by guards as they tried to escape, and that there were cases of women being raped. Authorities said that 129 people were killed, some by gunfire and others in a stampede. However, Emmanuel Adu Cole, a prison rights activist, said that the death toll was more than 200. Authorities denied that any inmates successfully escaped, but inmates and prisoners' rights groups said that roll calls found that the number of prisoners in Makala was reduced by nearly 2,000 following the incident. Multiple buildings in the prison sustained extensive damage, including a part of the prison which the government said was set on fire. The prison's administrative building, food depots, and hospital were damaged by the fires, while its archives were destroyed.

Aftermath and reactions

Families of the victims called for more responsibility, clarity, and answers from the government regarding the conditions that led to the incident, as did

human rights group A human rights group, or human rights organization, is a non-governmental organization which advocates for human rights through identification of their violation, collecting incident data, its analysis and publication, promotion of public awareness ...

s. Several inmates involved in the incident were subsequently tried in military courts. The Congolese government urged judges to stop sending people to Makala as a stopgap, but the prison remained open. However, no visitors have been allowed in as of 4 September. Deputy Prime Minister for Interior and Security Jacquemain Shabani said that a special commission has been set up to continue investigating "deplorable and unfortunate events". Justice Minister Constant Mutamba called the attempted jailbreak a "premeditated act of sabotage". Government officials said that provisional measures to accelerate the construction of a new prison on the capital's outskirts were underway. The prison's director, Joseph Yusufu Maliki, was suspended by Mutamba and went into hiding. The Delegation of the European Union to the Democratic Republic of Congo on 4 September called on Congolese authorities "to quickly shed light on these tragic events in order to establish the various responsibilities, including with regard to respect for human rights and the rule of law." On 21 September, 600 inmates, including ten minors, were released from Makala as part of efforts to decongest the facility, while 1,700 inmates suffering from illness were released on 23 September.

References

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Background

Attempted jailbreak

Aftermath and reactions

See also

References