Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo report that 129 prisoners were killed during an attempted escape from the country’s largest prison. Learn more about the tragic incident and its aftermath.

At least 129 individuals attempting to flee from Kinshasa’s central Makala prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been reported dead by authorities.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo issued a statement on X stating that there was an attempted prison break on Monday. This occurred during a fire which affected the administrative buildings of the facility, including the infirmary.

Lukoo announced a preliminary death toll of 129, with 24 victims being shot and warned about beforehand. The statement was posted on X and also mentioned that around 59 individuals sustained injuries.

According to him, there was noticeable physical harm.

Lukoo announced that he had conducted a meeting with the defense and security services, discussing a “crisis,” however, peace has been reinstated.

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Constructed to accommodate 1,500 incarcerated individuals, Makala penitentiary stands as the DRC’s most massive prison.

According to official records, the number of detainees ranges from 14,000 to 15,000 at present. Amnesty International’s latest country report on the DRC stated that a majority of them are individuals awaiting trial.

In the past, there have been instances of jailbreaks at the prison. For instance, in 2017 a large number of prisoners (over 4,000) managed to flee after being attacked by armed individuals during nighttime hours.

In an effort to decrease overcrowding, numerous inmates have been released by the authorities in recent months.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who is currently on an official visit to China, did not make any public statement about Monday’s incident.

According to Constant Mutamba, the Justice Minister, the assault was orchestrated beforehand and amounted to an intentional act of sabotage. Its aim? To obstruct progress in prison reform initiatives.

Mutamba announced that investigations are in progress to ascertain and impose severe penalties on perpetrators who were responsible for initiating these acts of sabotage. They will face a strict reaction.

In addition to introducing measures to decrease overcrowding, he revealed plans for constructing a new correctional facility and prohibiting the relocation of convicts from the current prison.