Information
A deadly incident unfolded at the Makala prison in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, where at least 129 people were killed during an attempted jailbreak. The chaos resulted from a stampede as inmates tried to flee, while 24 prisoners were shot dead by security forces warning shots. A fire also broke out in the prison’s administrative areas, food depots, and hospital, further escalating the situation. Despite the turmoil, authorities have stated that the prison is now under control, with no inmates having successfully escaped.
Makala prison, designed to hold 1,500 inmates, is severely overcrowded with over 12,000 detainees, most of whom are awaiting trial. This overcrowding has contributed to repeated security issues, including a previous jailbreak in 2017 when a religious sect freed dozens of inmates. The government has launched an investigation into the recent incident to understand the causes and prevent future occurrences.
Source: AP, Reuters
So what
12,000 people in a 1,500 inmate prison is a recipe for disaster, particularly in the DRC, where law and order is already on the brink. It seems unlikely that the government’s investigation will change anything as they are unlikely to be able to afford any significant upgrades to the prison. It seems likely that the DRC prison guards lack any less-than-lethal options, so they likely use deadly force as their first response.
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