KEY POINTS
- More than 260 women were assaulted during a prison break in Congo.
- At least 129 people were killed in the chaotic escape attempt.
- The prison was holding over 10 times its intended capacity.
More than 260 women were sexually assaulted during a violent prison break at Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, earlier this month.
An internal United Nations report revealed that 268 out of 348 female inmates were attacked during the chaos. The incident occurred during an attempted mass escape on September 2, which also left 129 people dead.
Makala Central Prison is designed to house 1,500 prisoners, but before the breakout, it was holding more than 15,000 people—over ten times its capacity. During the failed escape, male prisoners violently broke into the women’s section of the prison.
One victim, who chose to remain anonymous, described the horror, saying, “I saw the male prisoners throwing themselves at the female prisoners; it was horrible.” Another inmate reported being raped by at least a dozen men.
According to Reuters, the U.N. report noted that many victims were in urgent need of medical care. Some required post-attack kits and emergency contraception within 72 hours to prevent further harm. Out of the women who were assaulted, 17 were under the age of 19, adding another layer of tragedy to the already horrific events.
Prison overcrowding and brutal Response
The prison break attempt was met with extreme force by prison guards, who opened fire on the fleeing inmates. At least 129 people were killed in the confrontation. The government initially acknowledged that sexual assaults had taken place but did not release detailed figures until the U.N. report surfaced. Despite the severity of the incident, no actual escapes were reported from the prison.
Prison overcrowding has been a long-standing issue in Congo. Makala, like many other prisons in the country, is vastly overcrowded, creating unsafe and inhumane conditions. This situation likely contributed to the violence during the breakout.
Calls for action and investigation
Human rights groups and activists are now calling for an in-depth investigation into the incident. Congolese rights defender Emmanuel Cole, who has monitored prisons since 1997, called the assault “the worst case we have seen in terms of the number of rapes during an escape.”
Cole believes the reported number of victims may even be an underestimate, as some women may have been too afraid to report their assaults.
In response to the violence, President Felix Tshisekedi has ordered an investigation into the incident and a review of Congo’s main prisons to address overcrowding and prevent future tragedies like this from occurring.
