By Eloge Kaneza
An escape attempt from Makala prison in Kinshasa during the night of September 2-3 left at least 129 people dead and 59 injured , according to Jacquemain Shabani, Minister of the Interior, Security, Decentralization and Customary Affairs.
“The provisional human toll stands at 129 dead, including 24 by gunfire after warning … The wounded are being treated at the expense of the government,” Shabani said in a video released to the press on Tuesday, September 3.
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Congolese authorities have given no details on the total number of detainees who tried to flee, but according to Shabani, some of the prisoners died “by jostling or suffocation.” Shabani also mentioned the rape of “some women,” without further details. The administrative buildings, the registry, the infirmary, and the food stores were ravaged by fire as a result of the attempt, Shabani said.
The Prime minister’s communication office has released a statement assuring the public that the security services are in control of the situation.
“Citizens must therefore be reassured,” Shabani announced on Monday, assuring the public that investigations are underway. “The perpetrators will be severely punished once identified,” he said.
Makala prison is the largest penitentiary center in DR Congo. Built in 1957 during the colonial era, it has not undergone any renovation in 67 years. Makala was built to accommodate 1,500 inmates, but at present houses nearly 15,000 prisoners. It is the only prison in a city of 13 million residents.
Sources in DR Congo, among them journalists who spoke to Amjambo Africa but requested anonymity – DR Congo is ranked in the lowest category in the world on the Press Freedom Index – assert that the prison is very poorly maintained. ” Makala detainees are exposed to excessive cruelty due to precarious living conditions,” one journalist said.
On May 17, 2017, a spectacular breakout took place at the same prison and 4,000 people escaped. The escape followed an attack attributed to the militiamen Bundu dia Kongo (The Church or Assembly of the Kongo). Among the escapees was Ne Muanda Nsemi, the founder of Bundu dia Kongo, a political-religious movement. Nsemi died on October 18, 2023 in Kinshasa, aged 77. He had become close to President Felix Tshisekedi, whose political party he supported.
