Congo bishops blast government over carnage during mass prison break

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have condemned what they describe as a disregard for human life following the deaths of at least 129 people on Sept. 2, during an attempted breakout at the overcrowded Makala Prison in the capital city of Kinshasa.

According to the Minister of Interior, Jacquemain Shabani, 24 inmates were killed by gunshots fired by guards while attempting to escape. Others reportedly were trampled to death, asphyxiated, or raped during the chaos. Additionally, 59 inmates were wounded and are receiving treatment under government care.

Human Rights Watch reports that testimony from some prisoners suggests suspected youth gang members, known as kulunas, initiated the mass escape attempt. Several prison buildings caught fire, destroying administrative buildings and archives, and thus complicating the identification of the killed and wounded.

Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya Katembwe stated on the X social network that security services are on-site to restore order and security.

The attempted escape and resulting deaths underscore a deeper issue within a prison designed to hold 1,500 inmates but currently housing 15,000. Of these, only 3,000 are serving prison terms, while the rest are awaiting trial.

The prison deaths are part of a broader crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country rich in mineral resources but plagued by violence and poverty. The bishops expressed their frustration with the continuous reports of killings and criticized the security forces for their blunders and the state for its negligence.

“The news coming from the Makala Central Prison on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, reporting more than a hundred deaths, many by gunshot, several wounded, and cases of rape among its inmates, compels [the bishops’ conference] to reiterate its disapproval of the disregard for human life in DR Congo,”  a statement said.

“It is more than deplorable to have to count the number of deaths every day as a result of attacks and blunders by the forces of order and security on the one hand, and the negligence of state services on the other,” it added.

The bishops also recalled the Aug. 30, 2023, massacre of more than 50 people by the country’s Republican Guard. The victims, known as Wazalendo, were followers of a sect in Goma in the eastern part of the country.

As recently as Aug, 15, elements of the DR Congo Armed Forces and the Congolese National Police massacred a dozen young people from the Mbidi religious movement in Kilwa.

Three days later, the nation mourned the death of 25 people and the disappearance of 160 others when a whaleboat sank on the Lukeni River in the Maï-Ndombe region, due to negligence by state services responsible for regulating navigation on lakes and rivers, the bishops said.

The bishops asserted that the Congolese people are “deeply wounded and desolate everywhere: the victims of armed violence, the starving, etc.”

“Our bitterness is all the greater when we note that this series of unfortunate events is followed by lethargy in the investigations displayed by the political-administrative and military authorities, bordering on abandoning the people to themselves,” they said.

They stated that the killings and deaths conceal an even “deeper tragedy: culpable negligence, carelessness, and corruption in the judicial system, disrespect for human life, bad governance, and so on.”

Insisting that prisoners still have their fundamental rights and dignity, the bishops urged the justice system to respect the rights of the accused and expedite judgments.

“This would also contribute to the government’s efforts to reduce prison overcrowding and avoid clandestine incarceration,” they said.

They urged the government to honor its commitments to build new prisons and for security forces to return to their role as protectors of the population, not oppressors.

“We call on all to work towards restoring a peaceful society where human life is respected, and we offer our prayers for the families affected by these heinous tragedies,” the bishops said.