`Hell Behind Bars` - Life in DR Congo`s Most Notorious Jail

In describing Makala Prison – the scene of a deadly and failed breakout this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo – two former inmates used the same word: "hell." “Makala is a true hell,” Stanis Bujakera, a former inmate and journalist, told the BBC about DR Congo's largest jail. Bujakera was sent to the notorious Makala Prison in September last year, accused of writing an article implicating the military in the death of an opposition politician. He spent six months there. “Makala is not a prison, but a detention center resembling a concentration camp, where people are sent to die,” he said. Located in the capital city, Kinshasa, Makala has a capacity of 1,500 prisoners but holds around 10 times that number. The prison population ranges from petty criminals to political prisoners and murderers. Human rights groups have long decried the appalling conditions faced by Makala inmates, including extreme overcrowding, inadequate food, and poor access to clean water. Earlier this week, conditions were thrust into the spotlight again when 129 prisoners lost their lives in a tragic breakout attempt. Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani reported that two dozen were shot dead as they tried to escape, but most suffocated in a chaotic crush. Survivors described cells without running water or electricity for more than a day-and-a-half. The unbearable heat led some prisoners to break out, and the disaster unfolded from there.

Bujakera said such conditions are the norm. Taps constantly run dry, and electricity is random, leaving inmates in darkness for days. "Inmates are abandoned to their fate, trapped in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions that spread disease," he added. Prisoners die daily as a result. Rostin Manketa, executive director of Congolese human rights group La Voix des Sans Voix, visited Makala several times and echoed the sentiment: prisoners sent there are essentially sent to hell. Makala’s grim conditions extend beyond poor living arrangements. The prison’s hierarchy reflects the vast economic inequalities in DR Congo. While some inmates can afford to stay in a VIP section, most are left in squalor. Bujakera was asked to pay $3,000 to stay in VIP, but negotiated the price down to $450.

Prison guards have little control over what happens inside Makala, leaving prisoners to govern themselves, which leads to harmful power dynamics and violence. Makala isn’t alone. Prisons across DR Congo are critically underfunded and overcrowded, ranking among the world’s worst. The justice system’s inefficiency exacerbates the issue, with many inmates languishing in jail for years before even being tried. Bujakera believes urgent reforms are needed to address this "sick" justice system, as demonstrated by the recent tragedy. People are dying, waiting for change. ⚡ Image Credit: GettyImages