At least 20 prisoners that includes incarcerated soldiers have escaped from Manono Prison in Tanganyika Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
On Wednesday 26th June 2024, this group of prisoners that includes 16 civilians and 4 soldiers serving sentences at Manono, overpowered the guards before finding their way out of the facility.
The four incarcerated FARDC soldiers who have been identified as the main masterminds of the prison break also seized weapons from the guards at the prison.
“There are actually 20 prisoners who escaped from Manono prison. There were 16 civilians and 4 soldiers detained there. They took advantage of the carelessness of the guard who, by wanting to close the large prison barrier from the inside around 6 p.m., was surprised by the latter who overpowered him and took away his weapon,” the civil society revealed.
With at least 97 prisoners at the facility, Manono Prison, like all the penitentiary facilities in the DR Congo currently faces problems of security and overcrowding.
The local authority have since announced that it has instituted a manhunt to locate the prisoners who are on the run and amongst the population.
