Makala Central Prison (), or Makala Prison (, ), is the biggest prison in the
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 ...
(DRC), located in its capital city,
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 ...
.
It is located in the city center, from the presidential palace.
Makala Prison is located between the communes of
Makala
Makala is a commune located in the Funa District of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covering an area of 5.60 square kilometers, Makala is situated in Kinshasa's southern hilly region and has an estimated popu ...
and
Selembao
Selembao is one of the 24 Communes of Kinshasa, communes that are the administrative divisions of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covering over 12 square kilometers and with an estimated population of 1,038,819 ...
. With a theoretical capacity of 1,500 detainees,
Makala is the only detention centre in Kinshasa, with the exception of Ndolo military prison.
The security of each of the eleven pavilions where prisoners are housed is ensured by the inmates.
There are no police officers or prison guards inside the site.
Instead, prisoners armed with batons guard the entrances and exits of each pavilion.
Capacity
Makala Prison has capacity for 1,500 prisoners,
and holds both male and female prisoners.
However, Makala Prison is highly overcrowded, housing between 14,000 and 15,000 inmates.
According to activists, this leads to inmates often starving to death.
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.
History
Makala Prison was created in 1957 during the rule of the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...
.
There was a
jailbreak in 2017,
and an
attempted jailbreak in 2024.
Thousands escaped and dozens died in the 2017 incident,
while over a hundred died and none escaped in the 2024 incident.
Jailbreaks are relatively common in the DRC.
References
{{Coord, 4, 21, 45, S, 15, 17, 9, E, display=title
Buildings and structures in Kinshasa
Prisons in Africa
Buildings and structures completed in 1957