On 17 May 2017, a mass jailbreak at Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulted in the deaths of up to 100 people.[2]
Date | 17 May 2017 |
---|---|
Venue | Makala Central Prison |
Coordinates | 4°21′45″S 15°17′9″E / 4.36250°S 15.28583°E |
Type | Mass jailbreak |
Perpetrator | Prison inmates |
Participants | 4000+ |
Outcome | Over 4000 prisoners escaped[1] Up to 100 deaths |
Deaths | ~100 |
Background
editMakala prison, the biggest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has capacity for 1,500 prisoners,[3] and holds both male and female prisoners.[4] However, Makala prison is highly overcrowded, housing between 14,000 and 15,000 inmates.[5] In 2020, it was estimated that more than 90% of the people held at the prison were awaiting trial,[6] and only 6% were actually serving sentences.[7] Jailbreaks are common in the DRC.[5]
Jailbreak
editIt was believed that around half of the prison's inmates fled during the attack.[2]
In the initial attack, around 50 prisoners got away when armed men attacked the prison.[2]
Government officials said a police officer and at least five attackers were killed, while several sources say that up to 100 died in the unrest.[2]
Perpetrators
editThe attack was carried out by followers of the political-religious sect Bundu Dia Kongo in order to free their leader Ne Muanda Nsemi and 50 other inmates.[8]
Ne Muanda Nsemi, a former MP, was believed to be the mastermind of the unrest.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "At least 129 dead in DR Congo jailbreak attempt". france24. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "'More than 3,000 escaped' Makala jail in DR Congo". BBC. BBC News. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "At least 129 dead in DR Congo jailbreak attempt". France24. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Kamale, Jean-Yves (September 3, 2024). "Attempted jailbreak at a Congo prison kills 129 people as chaos erupts with a stampede and gunshots". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Niamh; Princewill, Nimi (September 3, 2024). "At least 129 killed during mass prison break attempt in DR Congo". CNN. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Godfrey, Paul (September 3, 2024). "129 killed, 59 injured in abortive mass prison break in Democratic Republic of Congo". United Press International. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Makumeno, Emery (September 3, 2024). "More than 100 killed in failed DR Congo jailbreak". BBC. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "BDK leader Ne Muanda Nsemi flees after DRC jailbreak". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.