Democratic Republic of Congo’s government has said at least 129 people were killed while trying to escape from the central Makala prison in the capital Kinshasa early on Monday, adding that the situation was now under control.
In a statement posted on X early yesterday, Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said a fire had also broken out in the jail’s administrative building, its food depots, and a hospital. said that among the dead were 24 people who were shot “after warnings,” while many others died from being crushed or suffocated. At least 59 people were injured or receiving medical care, and several women were raped during the incident.
“The mass escape attempt at Makala central prison resulted in the loss of life and significant material damage,” he said in the video statement.
Earlier, a prison official had said no prisoners had succeeded in escaping, adding that those who tried to escape had been killed. The government is investigating the incident.
The break-out attempt occurred around 2:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Monday. Prisoners told Reuters they had heard heavy gunfire, as well as sounds of prisoners outside.
The at least 129 inmates were killed early Monday morning as they attempted to escape the country’s largest prison. CNN’s Larry Madowo reports with a video appearing to show the aftermath and fire at the prison compound.
Shabani has however confirmed that order had been restored at the prison and no inmates managed to escape. The authorities have not disclosed precisely how many prisoners attempted to flee from Makala, DR Congo’s largest prison, which is designed to hold 1,500 people but currently houses over 15,000.
