2017 Makala prison jailbreak
| Date | 17 May 2024 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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]
Ne Muanda Nsemi, former MP and leader of the political-religious sect Bundu Dia Kongo, was believed to be the mastermind of the unrest.[3]
Background
[edit]Makala prison, the biggest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has capacity for 1,500 prisoners,[4] and holds both male and female prisoners.[5] However, Makala prison is highly overcrowded, housing between 14,000 and 15,000 inmates.[6] In 2020, it was estimated that more than 90% of the people held at the prison were awaiting trial,[7] and only 6% were actually serving sentences.[3] Jailbreaks are common in the DRC.[6]
Jailbreak
[edit]It 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]
References
[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}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
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