The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed that an attempted jailbreak in the country has claimed several lives. The attempt took place overnight in the county’s biggest prison.
The attempt was confirmed by the government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya in a post published on X on Monday. He noted some persons had attempted to break the Central Prison overnight. He further confirmed that security officers have taken over the place to restore normalcy in the prison to restore normalcy.
The spokesperson, who is currently in China as part of the delegation of the resident Felix Tshisekedi to this week’s China-Africa summit, spoke to Congolese television from Beijing, noting the situation has been under control by the security officers.
Also speaking on the incident, Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani noted that the incident led to the loss of lives and properties. At the same time, numerous people in the prison yard have been left injured. The minister noted that material damages have been the major loss in the attempt.
Some residents in the area and eyewitnesses have confirmed that gunshots were heard in the area before the incident took place, with several other individuals escaping. The authorities have provided the data for the number of individuals who have escaped from the incident.
The police took over the street leading to the prison in a bid to maintain law and order in the place to avoid reoccurrence.
A resident in the area who spoke to AFP named an electrician in his 40s, explained that the gunshots were heard in the area at about 2 am, which lasted for hours till the early hours of the morning.
He confirmed that several person had lost their lives in the incident, explaining that the security officers had been transporting some dead bodies in their vehicles for several hours. The source also confirmed an unspecified number of persons had fled the prison/
Reacting to the incident, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba on X condemned the incident while saying that the government has started the process of identifying the persons individuals involved in the incident and punishing them according to the law.
He further confirmed the suspension of the transfer of prisoners to the prison till further notice.
The prison has been overlaboured, which has seen it carrying more than its capacity. The prison has been built to carry 1,500 prisoners, but official figures show that the facility now houses 14,000 and 15,000 detainees.
A prison break which occurred in 2017 resulted in the escape of more than 4,000 prisoners from the facility after some unknown gunmen attacked the facility.
It is still unclear the circumstances that led to the attempt to burst into the prison yard in the capital of the country, Kinshasa.
