Over 60 individuals accused of crimes such as rape and arson in connection with an attempted prison escape in the Democratic Republic of Congo appeared in front of a military court on Wednesday, as per a defence lawyer.
The 63 defendants being tried in Kinshasa are facing charges of “malicious destruction, arson, acts of terrorism, and rape of women,” stated Michel Maftaa, one of the defence attorneys, speaking to AFP.
The circumstances surrounding the September 2 prison break attempt at the overcrowded Makala prison in Kinshasa are still unclear.
According to witnesses, gunfire was heard around 2:00 am and lasted for several hours in the vicinity of the prison, which is located in a popular residential area.
The trial commenced last week, according to Maftaa.
He also mentioned several uncertainties regarding the defendants’ alleged involvement in the trial.
The government recently announced that two individuals have died from their injuries, bringing the death toll from the attempted jailbreak to 131, with 24 of them being shot.
Several women were also reportedly subjected to rape, as stated by Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani.
However, a local NGO, the Bill Clinton Foundation for Peace, disputed the death toll provided by the Congolese government in a statement last week.
The organisation claimed that the number of detainees at Makala was just over 15,000 before the incident. Now it stands at just over 13,000, accounting for 100 prisoners who were subsequently transferred to another prison.
This could indicate a much higher number of prisoners who either escaped or were killed.
Makala prison has a capacity for 1,500 inmates but is regularly overcrowded, with rights organizations frequently raising concerns about the detention conditions there. According to official statistics, it holds between 14,000 to 15,000 prisoners.
In addition to the loss of life, the attempted prison escape caused damage to buildings, with a portion of the prison, mainly housing the administrative offices, being set on fire, as per the government.
The prison had already suffered significant damage during an attack in 2017, which resulted in over 4,000 prisoners escaping, some of whom were characterized as “dangerous” by the police.