wounded

At least 129 inmates died in DR Congo’s largest prison in the capital Kinshasa, 24 of them by bullets, during an escape attempt – the circumstances of which remain rather unclear at this stage – on the night of Sunday into Monday, according to an official report made public yesterday Tuesday.

59 injured

“The provisional death toll is 129 dead, including 24 by bullets, following warnings,” Jacquemin Champany, the interior minister, told reporters.

Mr. Champani also spoke of 59 injured people, who are being offered “proper” medical treatment.

Makala prison

Makala prison, the largest in the sprawling central African country, is notorious for chronic overcrowding: it holds ten times its capacity (14,000 to 15,000) than its nominal capacity (1,500), according to official statistics.

What happened

Around 02:00 on Monday morning, gunshots began to be heard inside the prison, according to residents who spoke to AFP. Gunfire continued for endless hours in the popular district of the capital where the detention center is located, according to their accounts.

Testimonies of citizens

Dadi Soso, an electrician in his forties, said he saw law enforcement vehicles carrying bodies in the early hours of the morning.

Dead by trampling or suffocation

According to Interior Minister Champani, who spoke of a “frustrated escape attempt”, many victims died because they were trampled or suffocated. The minister also spoke of “some” cases of women who were “raped”, without giving further details.

Roads around the prisons are closed

Roads around the prison had been blocked since the day before yesterday; a large police and army force remained in the area yesterday, AFP reporters found.

According to witnesses, fire was heard again early yesterday morning in the area.

“Anxious Tranquility”

“I heard gunshots around 05:00,” said Sakr, a taxi driver who did not want to give his full details. He said he panicked, finding an uneasy calm on the usually congested streets around the prison.

No explanation has been given by the authorities either about the number of prisoners who tried to escape, or about the circumstances.

The government representative Patrick Mouyagia he simply said yesterday Monday that “security forces” had been deployed to the scene before later assuring public television that the situation was “under control”.

The Minister of Justice Constant Mutaba for his part, he promised that “the masterminds” of the attempt would be found.

“Tragic events”

The European Union and the Belgian embassy in DR Congo described the events in the country’s largest prison as “tragic” and called for an “investigation” that would lead to “responsibility”.

The detention center, made of concrete, inside which temperatures are often unbearable, has been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups for the “inhumane” conditions of detention.

“The conditions are deplorable,” said activist Emmanuel Kohl, a defender of prisoners’ rights who makes frequent visits to prisons. He warned against a possible “rebellion” in Makala, where the situation could “escalate” as authorities banned all visits after the escape attempt.

Rosten Manketa, director of the NGO Voix des sans Voix (VSV, “Voice of the Voiceless”), demanded that the authorities reveal “what really happened” and caused “the carnage”.

“We denounce this massacre,” the Lucha civic movement bid via X, demanding an independent investigation.

“Extensive property damage”

In addition to the extremely heavy casualty toll, the escape attempt also caused extensive material damage. Some of the prison’s infrastructure – including the infirmary and correctional officers’ office building – was set on fire, according to authorities.

The same detention center had already suffered extensive damage when an armed attack took place in 2017, during which more than 4,000 prisoners escaped.

The circumstances of that mass escape remain unclear to this day.

Source: APE – MEB