Some 1,685 “seriously ill” prisoners have been released from one of the most notorious prisons in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the latest attempt to tackle overcrowding.
The release began on Sunday at Makala prison in the capital Kinshasa.
It was there, earlier this month, that 129 prisoners died in an attempted escapeSome were shot dead by security forces, while others were killed in a stampede, officials said.
The government has promised to accelerate plans to decongest the prison, which has described conditions there as “a living hell”.
Some of the prisoners eligible for release can be seen in a series of images published on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Justice.
In one photo, an emaciated man with dirty bandages around his right foot and below the knee is pushed into a wheelbarrow.
Another photo shows dozens of men, all looking malnourished. One of the men in the foreground has an open wound.
In a video, a prisoner who appears unable to stand screams that he is going to change his life and stop hurting others. He also praises the official in charge, Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba.
Mutamba said those who needed medical attention would be treated, while others would be sent home on government-provided buses, AP news agency reported.
The minister has already ordered the release of hundreds of others from Makala as he tries to reduce the prison population. He has also banned the transfer of new inmates to the prison.
With a population of at least 14 million, Kinshasa has two prisons. In addition to Makala, the N’dole military prison has an official capacity of 500.
Emmanuel Adu Cole, head of the Bill Clinton Foundation for Peace, a local NGO that focuses on prison conditions, welcomed the release but added that more needs to be done to address prison problems.
The prison, which was built in the 1950s, has a capacity of 1,500 inmates, but estimates suggest that at least 12,000 people were held there before this month’s escape attempt.
A former prisoner told the BBC that conditions inside were “absolutely hellish”.
“Makala is not a prison, but a detention center similar to a concentration camp, where people are sent to die,” said Stanis Bujakera.
Videos he secretly shot inside showed how close everyone was packed together and how inadequate the daily rations were.
Authorities have long recognized that there is an overcrowding problem.
Some officials have blamed magistrates for sending suspects to prison. In 2020, it was estimated that only 6% of prisoners were actually serving sentences — the rest were stuck in DR Congo’s justice system, where cases can drag on for years.
More BBC stories about DR Congo:
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfricaon Facebook on BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC Africa Podcasts
