Carnage as Failed Jailbreak Leaves at Least 129 Dead

A failed jailbreak at Congo’s largest prison in the capital, Kinshasa, has resulted in the deaths of at least 129 people, most of whom died in a stampede, authorities reported on Tuesday.

The Congolese Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said on the social platform X that during the early hours of Monday, 24 inmates were shot dead by “warning” gunfire as they attempted to flee from the severely overcrowded Makala Central Prison.

The prison, which houses more than 12,000 inmates despite a capacity for just 1,500, is a notorious facility where most detainees are awaiting trial, according to Amnesty International.

Shabani also noted that 59 injured individuals were receiving medical care.

The incident included reports of sexual violence, and part of the prison had been set on fire.

Shabani told the public in the post that order had been restored.

The Makala facility has a history of violent incidents, including a 2017 attack by a religious sect that resulted in the escape of dozens of inmates.

Residents reported that gunfire erupted around midnight from Sunday into Monday.

A senior government official earlier said only two deaths were confirmed during the incident, a figure disputed by rights activists.

Graphic videos circulating online appeared to show bodies strewn across the prison grounds, many bearing visible injuries.

Another video showed inmates carrying people who appeared to be dead into a vehicle.

There were no signs of forced entry into the prison, which is located just 3 miles from the presidential palace.

The attempted escape was plotted from inside the prison by inmates in one of the wings, Mbemba Kabuya, the deputy justice minister, told the local Top Congo FM radio.

In the hours that followed the attack, the road to the prison was cordoned off while authorities convened a panel to investigate the incident.

Overcrowding in Congolese prisons like Makala is a well-documented issue, with conditions so dire that deaths from starvation are not uncommon, according to activists.

Scores of inmates have been released this year as part of efforts to decongest the prisons.

Justice Minister Constant Mutamba called the attack a “premeditated act of sabotage,” adding that those who “instigated these acts of sabotage … will receive a stern response.”

He also announced a ban on the transfer of inmates from the prison and said authorities will build a new prison, among other efforts to reduce overcrowding.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press