129 fatalities reported in Congo prison’s attempted escape incident

• 59 injured people were taken into care by the government, and in some cases women were raped.
• Emmanuel Adu Cole, a prison rights activist, claimed over 200 people died in the attack, many of whom were shot.
• The facility, which houses both male and female inmates, is currently holding over 12,000 inmates.

Authorities reported on Tuesday that an attempted jailbreak in Congo’s main prison resulted in 129 deaths. Some victims were shot by guards and soldiers, while others died in a stampede at the overcrowded facility. A prominent activist claimed the death toll exceeds 200.

Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemin Shabani stated on X that a provisional assessment revealed 24 inmates were fatally shot by guards firing “warning” shots as they attempted to escape from Makala Central Prison in the capital Kinshasa early Monday.

“There are also 59 injured people taken into care by the government, as well as some cases of women raped,” he said, adding that order had been restored at the prison, part of which was burned in the attempted jailbreak.

Shabani did not provide details on the reported incidents of rape in the prison, which houses both male and female inmates, as well as military personnel facing charges. It was unclear whether all 129 fatalities were inmates, and officials did not explain how the stampede occurred.

However, Emmanuel Adu Cole, a prominent prison rights activist in Congo, told The Associated Press that he counted over 200 people dead in the attack, many of whom had been shot. He based this on videos shared from the prison and conversations with inmates. The AP could not independently verify the videos.

Inmates had become increasingly frustrated with the poor conditions at the facility, including inadequate beds, poor feeding, and poor sanitation. Despite warnings, authorities failed to act, according to Cole, president of the local Bill Clinton Peace Foundation, which has previously visited the prison.

Amnesty International’s latest country report stated that Makala, Congo’s largest penitentiary with a capacity for 1,500 people, currently holds over 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial.

The facility has experienced previous jailbreaks, including one in 2017 when members of a religious sect stormed the prison and freed dozens of inmates. Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, a prominent Congolese journalist who was recently detained there for months, described the conditions as “deplorable and inhumane.” He highlighted how inmates frequently lack food, water, and medical care. Among the prisoners are nearly 700 women and hundreds of minors, who are “treated in the same way as adults,” he noted.

“Makala is a real chaos (and) every day is a battle for life,” Tshiamala said.

Gunfire erupted inside the prison around midnight on Sunday and continued into Monday morning, local residents reported. Stéphane Matondo, who lives nearby, said, “Shots were ringing out everywhere.” He added that military vehicles arrived shortly afterward and blocked the main road to the prison.

Videos posted online show bodies lying on the ground inside the prison, many with visible injuries. Another video depicts inmates carrying what appeared to be lifeless bodies and loading them into a vehicle.

Authorities found no signs of forced entry into the prison, which is located in the city center, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the presidential palace.

Deputy Justice Minister Mbemba Kabuya told local Top Congo FM radio that the attempted escape was plotted from inside the prison by inmates in one of the wings.

In the hours following the attack, officials visited the prison while authorities convened a panel to investigate the incident. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, currently in China on an official visit, has not publicly commented.

Rights groups and the opposition have called for an independent investigation, accusing the government of using excessive force and covering up the true death toll. Earlier on Monday, a senior government official stated that only two people had died.

Martin Fayulu, an opposition leader, compared the death toll to “summary executions” and said it was an “unacceptable crime that cannot go unpunished.”

Activists say that Makala, along with other prisons in Congo, is so overcrowded that inmates often starve to death. Recent months have seen the release of scores of prisoners as part of efforts to reduce the inmate population.

Justice Minister Constant Mutamba described the attempted jailbreak as a “premeditated act of sabotage” and vowed a “stern response.” His deputy, Samuel Mbemba Kabuya, attributed the overcrowding in prisons to the country’s magistrates and judges, who quickly jail individuals at the early stages of their trials.

Mutamba announced a ban on transferring inmates from Makala and pledged that authorities would build a new prison, among other measures to reduce overcrowding.