More than 260 female inmates at the Makala Central Prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo were sexually assaulted during a failed mass escape earlier this month, according to an internal U.N. report.
The breakout attempt, which occurred in the early hours of September 2, resulted in the deaths of at least 129 inmates when prison guards used live ammunition to prevent the escape.
While the Congolese government had initially confirmed reports of sexual assault without specifying the number of victims, the U.N. investigation revealed that 268 out of 348 women incarcerated at the prison had been subjected to sexual violence.
Among the victims were 17 girls under the age of 19. The report detailed the urgent need for post-attack kits and emergency contraception for the survivors.
One of the survivors, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal, recounted the horrific scene, stating she was raped by at least a dozen male inmates.
Another female prisoner described how she witnessed men attacking even the elderly women. Both asked to remain unnamed for their safety.
The escape attempt led to the destruction of seven of the prison’s 11 blocks, including the section where most female inmates were housed. Despite the chaos, no successful escapes were reported.
Congolese human rights defender Emmanuel Cole, who has monitored prisons since 1997, called this incident the worst he had ever seen in terms of the number of rapes during a prison escape.
He believes the number of victims may be higher, as some women likely refrained from reporting the assaults out of fear of retaliation.
In response, President Felix Tshisekedi has ordered an investigation into the incident and a review of prison conditions to address severe overcrowding. Makala Central Prison, which was built to house 1,500 prisoners, was holding more than 15,000 at the time of the attempted breakout.
