Over 900 Prisoners Escape from DRC Prison

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed that more than 900 prisoners have escaped from a prison in the city of Beni, in the eastern province of North Kivu.

According to officials, a group of armed men stormed the prison on Sunday afternoon, killing 11 people and approximately 930 prisoners.

Julien Paluku Kahongya, governor of the North Kivu province, said that out of the 966 inmates that were incarcerated at the prison, only 36 prisoners remained after the attack.

The group of men, believed to be a militant group from the area, were said to have been heavily armed and managed to overthrow prison security.

Governor Paluku Kahongya confirmed that eight of the eleven people who were killed, were prison security guards.

Following the attack and subsequent prison break, Governor Paluku Kahongya implemented a curfew in the area, prohibiting civilian movement in Beni and the nearby town of Butembo after a certain time.

Only police and army officers are allowed to circulate the area after the curfew.

This is not the DRC’s first experience of a mass prison break. Just last month,a militant Christian group stormed the Kinshasa’s high security Makala prison, releasing over 4000 prisoners including their leader.

Thus far there have been no suspects named in Sunday’s prison attack.