A Major Prison Riot In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo

No More Room Democratic Republic of the Congo Almost 130 people died this week in an attempted mass breakout from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s largest prison, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s recent history of prison violence, CNN reported. The breakout attempt at the Makala Central Prison, near the capital Kinshasa, occurred in the early hours of Monday, resulting in major damage to the facility’s infrastructure, with fires destroying offices, the infirmary and food depots. Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo Bihango confirmed that 129 people were killed, including 24 by gunshots, while others died from suffocation and jostling. The chaos also resulted in sexual assaults on women. About 59 individuals sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment. The government has since stated that the situation is under control. Makala Prison, built in the 1950s, has a capacity of 1,500 inmates but was holding more than 12,000 inmates before the incident. Some sources claimed the number of inmates was as high as 14,000. In 2020, a prison official told the BBC about how people were dying there because of poor conditions, including food shortages and a lack of hygiene. At the time, only about 6 percent of inmates were serving sentences. The rest were trapped in prolonged legal proceedings. This overcrowding issue has been a longstanding problem in the DRC’s penal system, contributing to deteriorating conditions and frequent prison breaks. In 2017, a similar incident at Makala resulted in the escape of over 4,000 inmates. In response to the latest breakout, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba condemned the event as a “pre-meditated act of sabotage” and announced measures to prevent overcrowding, including suspending new transfers to Makala. Rights groups are now calling for an international investigation into the incident to address systemic issues within the DRC’s penitentiary system.