Thousands of ill inmates released from Congo's main prison to ease overcrowding

KINSHASA, Congo — Nearly 1,700 ill inmates were released Monday from Congo’s largest prison, the minister of justice said, as part of an effort to thin out the country's overcrowded prisons.

The operation took place at Makala Central Prison in the capital Kinshasa on Monday afternoon. Severely ill prisoners received immediate medical care, while others were sent home on buses provided by the ministry of justice and a state-owned company, Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba said.

Makala prison, Congo’s largest penitentiary with a capacity for 1,500 people, holds more than 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial, Amnesty International said in its latest country report.

Earlier this month, an attempted jailbreak at the prison left 129 people dead, including some who were shot by guards and soldiers and others who died in a stampede at the overcrowded facility, according to authorities. Emmanuel Adu Cole, a prominent prison rights activist in Congo and president of the local Bill Clinton Peace Foundation, put the death toll at more than 200.

Inmates had increasingly grown frustrated with the poor conditions in the facility, including inadequate beds, poor feeding and poor sanitation. However, authorities failed to act despite warnings, said Cole, whose foundation has visited the prison in the past.

Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, a prominent Congolese journalist who was recently detained in the prison for months, spoke of its “deplorable and inhumane” conditions and how inmates constantly lack food, water and medical care. Nearly 700 women, and hundreds of minors who are “treated in the same way as adults,” are among the inmates, he said.

Last week, Minister of Justice Mutamba announced the release of 600 inmates, including around 10 minors, and ordered prison authorities to examine the cases of all minors to organize more releases. There are around 300 minors at Makala prison, according to the prison’s deputy director.

Mutamba said there are plans for the construction of a new prison in Kinshasa, without giving more details.