Shots awoke the city of Kinasha, as massive chaos arose in the main prison, just mere miles away from the capital’s presidential palace. At least 129 individuals died as inmates attempted a mass jailbreak from the Makala Central Prison around 2:00 a.m (local time). 24 individuals were killed by gunshot after warning and the rest were jostled, suffocated and even some reported rape. Human Rights Watch interviewed three prisoners who all said that the stampede started when members of a youth gang attempted to flee the prison, however, nothing has been confirmed. Locals reported hearing shooting for hours as well as seeing several buildings set ablaze during the mass chaos.
The facilities were known for their inhuman treatment of prisoners due to overcrowding and lack of drinking water and food, as well as medicine and other necessities.
A report published by Amnesty International stated that the prison centre only had space for 1,500 individuals, yet it held 12,000 inmates as of 2023. Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, a congolese journalist who was held in prison for months spoke about how 700 women and hundreds of minors were all treated the same as men. In an interview with AP News, he spoke of how it “looks more like a concentration camp than a penitentiary”, and that the prisoners were treated like “subhumans.” The Resolution on Prisons in Africa said that nations should comply with “international norms and standards for the protection of the human rights of prisoners,” however in 2020, BBC spoke to a prison official about the inmates who were suffering from malnutrition and lack of proper hygiene. At the time, only 6 percent of prisoners were actually serving sentences and the rest were stuck in the Congolese legal system, awaiting trial.
The families of the victims have been mourning the tragic losses of their loved ones. Everixk Nzeu, a 25-year-old who died during the jailbreaks was sent to the Makala prison on a provincial arrest warrant without a trial or conviction, says his mother Madeleine Mbalaka. The young man sadly left behind his 8-year-old daughter. Mbalaka pleaded to the Associated Press saying that she “asks justice be done.”
Since the incident, videos have circulated on social media, showing just how brutal the stampede was. The DRC Justice Minister spoke on the tragic incident through X, and coined it as “premeditated acts of sabotage.” He also clarified that investigations are ongoing however activists have asked for an international inquiry, as many accuse the government of mishandling the case and covering up the body count, as the government had originally claimed that only two inmates had died.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo sadly, has a long history of violence. The Canadian Government has asked all citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to the DRC, due to high crime rates, civil unrest and the risk of kidnapping. The incident at the Makala Prison is only one of the many tragic events showcasing the dangers of the DRC.
Written by Suriya Rampersad
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