Makala Central Prison (French: Prison centrale de Makala), or Makala Prison[1] (French: Prison de Makala, Lingala: Bolóko ya Makala), is the biggest prison in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in its capital city, Kinshasa.[2] It is located in the city center, 3 miles (4.8 km) from the presidential palace.[3]
 | |
| Location | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Capacity | 1,500 |
| Population | 14,000–15,000 (as of 2024) |
| Notable prisoners | |
| Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Emmanuel Dungia, Bruno Tshibala, Muanda Nsemi | |
Makala Prison is located between the communes of Makala and Selembao. With a theoretical capacity of 1,500 detainees,[4][5] Makala is the only detention centre in Kinshasa, with the exception of Ndolo military prison.[6]
The security of each of the eleven pavilions where prisoners are housed is ensured by the inmates.[7] There are no police officers or prison guards inside the site.[7] Instead, prisoners armed with batons guard the entrances and exits of each pavilion.[7]
Capacity
editMakala Prison has capacity for 1,500 prisoners,[2] and holds both male and female prisoners.[3] However, Makala Prison is highly overcrowded, housing between 14,000 and 15,000 inmates.[8] According to activists, this leads to inmates often starving to death.[3] In 2020, it was estimated that more than 90% of the people held at the prison were awaiting trial,[9] and only 6% were actually serving sentences.[10]
History
editMakala Prison was created in 1957 during the rule of the Belgian Congo.[4] There was a jailbreak in 2017,[11] and an attempted jailbreak in 2024.[12] Thousands escaped and dozens died in the 2017 incident,[11] while over a hundred died and none escaped in the 2024 incident.[10] Jailbreaks are relatively common in the DRC.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Makala Prison: Behind bars at DR Congo's most notorious jail". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ a b "At least 129 dead in DR Congo jailbreak attempt". France24. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Kamale, Jean-Yves (3 September 2024). "Attempted jailbreak at a Congo prison kills 129 people as chaos erupts with a stampede and gunshots". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b Daudi, Chase Mutayubara (26 October 2022). "Les coulisses de la prison de Makala à Kinshasa" (in French). Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "RDC: des vidéos alarment à nouveau sur les conditions "inhumaines" des détenus à la prison de Makala". Radio France Internationale (in French). 21 July 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Canada, Immigration and Refugee Board of (5 June 2018). "Responses to Information Requests". www.irb-cisr.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Kibangula, Trésor (7 October 2015). "RDC : bienvenue dans l'enfer de Makala, la plus grande prison de Kinshasa". Jeune Afrique. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Kennedy, Niamh; Princewill, Nimi (3 September 2024). "At least 129 killed during mass prison break attempt in DR Congo". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Godfrey, Paul (3 September 2024). "129 killed, 59 injured in abortive mass prison break in Democratic Republic of Congo". United Press International. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b Makumeno, Emery (3 September 2024). "More than 100 killed in failed DR Congo jailbreak". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b "'More than 3,000 escaped' Makala jail in DR Congo". BBC. BBC News. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Kamale, Jean-Yves (2 September 2024). "An attempted jailbreak in Congo's main prison in Kinshasa leaves 2 inmates dead". AP News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Kennedy, Niamh; Princewill, Nimi (3 September 2024). "At least 129 killed during mass prison break attempt in DR Congo". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.