More than 100 dead in failed prison break in the Democratic Republic of Congo

According to authorities, 129 people were killed in an attempted escape from a high-security prison in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa.

Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo said 24 prisoners died of gunshot wounds after warning shots were fired in the early hours of Monday, adding that most of the others died of suffocation after being crushed together during the breakout at Makala prison.

Although reports of numerous casualties emerged on Monday, the government initially assumed that only two people had died.

Seven years ago, at least 4,000 prisoners escaped from the same prison, the largest in the country.

On Monday, residents of the prison reported hearing gunshots, but attempts by journalists to enter the prison grounds were thwarted by police who had blocked access to the area.

“There were gunshots from 1 or 2 a.m. until about 5 a.m.,” Daddi Soso, who lives near the prison, told AFP news agency.

“There were deaths and there are people who fled,” he said, adding that security forces were removing bodies.

On Monday, graphic videos from the prison, which were not verified by the BBC, were released, showing lifeless bodies on the floor and people calling for help amid a crush.

About 24 hours after the breakout attempt, Mr Lukoo posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) acknowledging the scale of the incident and the number of fatalities.

“This is also an opportunity to thank all the security services, the National Police and the Army, who reacted quickly and were able to bring the situation under control and prevent the escape,” he said.

“It is clear that there was indeed damage, including deaths, injuries and, in particular, damage to property in the central prison.

“Unfortunately, there have been fires in the administration and registry office. These are urgent situations that we are currently dealing with.”

Footage of the aftermath of the attempted escape shows a huge hole in a brick wall, charred buildings, firefighters working on site and an office with papers scattered on the floor.

Makala prison has a capacity of 1,500 prisoners, but actually holds more than 14,000 inmates, AFP reported.

In 2020, the BBC spoke to a prison officer who described how people were dying there due to poor conditions, including food shortages and poor hygiene.

At the time, it was estimated that only 6% of prisoners were actually serving their sentences – the rest were stuck in the Democratic Republic of Congo's legal system, where proceedings can drag on for years.

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