Matadi, 18 May 2012 - On the night of 17 to 18 May, 24 inmates escaped from Tshela prison, 210 km west of Matadi, the capital of Bas-Congo province. Earlier in the week, on 16 May, detainees refused to return to their dorms, a gesture meant to express their anger with the lack of food in the prison. The situation has now returned to normal after the intervention of the Congolese National Police (PNC) and elements of the National Armed Forces (FARDC).

The prison's director told the head of the Corrections Unit of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in Matadi that the provincial minister of Justice, the public prosecutor and other provincial authorities in Tshela were aware of this incident. Some officials had in the meantime made food contributions to the prison. The provincial minister of Justice was also expected to pitch in.

Other contributions in kind including rice, beans and cooking oil were received from various religious groups, as well as from Tshela's administrative and military authorities in the region. MONUSCO learned that the prison is also lacking in clean water, whereas stocks of medicine have depleted.

Not only does the prison lack in the necessary financial resources to assist its inmates, but it is also poorly maintained. Yet, a short while ago, in October 2011, the prison was partially rehabilitated by MONUSCO with valuable assistance from local and international NGOs.

This recent prisoners' escape comes in addition to a previous one on 30 April, when 14 inmates managed to jump the fence and to vanish into nature.

Maïmouna Traoré/ MONUSCO