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Makala Central Prison

Coordinates: 4°21′45″S 15°17′9″E / 4.36250°S 15.28583°E / -4.36250; 15.28583
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Makala Central Prison
Map
LocationKinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
StatusOperational
Capacity1,500
Population14,000–15,000 (as of 2024)
Notable prisoners
Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Emmanuel Dungia, Bruno Tshibala, Muanda Nsemi

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]

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

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Makala 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

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Makala 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

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  1. ^ "Makala Prison: Behind bars at DR Congo's most notorious jail". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "At least 129 dead in DR Congo jailbreak attempt". France24. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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 [fr]. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ Canada, Immigration and Refugee Board of (5 June 2018). "Responses to Information Requests". www.irb-cisr.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b "'More than 3,000 escaped' Makala jail in DR Congo". BBC. BBC News. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.

4°21′45″S 15°17′9″E / 4.36250°S 15.28583°E / -4.36250; 15.28583

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