Opposition party denounces plan to ‘eliminate’ its leader during attempted prison break in DRC

MONUSCO expresses its concern over the incident, which resulted in the death of 130 people

September 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The opposition party Alliance for Change on Wednesday denounced a plan to try to “physically eliminate” its leader, Jean-Marc Kabund, arrested in August 2022 and sentenced to seven years in prison in what it considered a case of political persecution, during the “chaotic situation” unleashed by the attempted escape from Makala prison, near Kinshasa, the country’s capital, which left some 130 dead.

“Faced with this dark and chaotic situation which constitutes an atrocious crime, the political party Alliance for Change warns the regime of (President) Félix Tshisekedi against any attempt to physically eliminate the honourable Jean-Marc Kabund, unjustly imprisoned for more than two years in Makala central prison,” reads a statement from the party posted on its social media account X.

She called for Kabund’s release due to deteriorating prison security conditions, and criticised the authorities’ handling of the escape attempt and their silence on reports of rape cases that occurred during the incident.

Meanwhile, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MONUSCO, expressed concern on Wednesday about the attempted escape from the prison, which held some 15,000 prisoners despite being equipped for only 1,500.

“Our human rights colleagues from the peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUSCO) inform us that they are concerned about events in a prison in the capital, Kinshasa. According to the Congolese authorities, during an attempted escape earlier this week, dozens of inmates were killed, including by bullets and being trampled,” said the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, during a press conference.

He also expressed his gratitude for the opening of an investigation, which should “bring to justice those responsible for crimes and violations of human rights”, and offered the collaboration of the UN.

Almost a year ago, the Congolese Court of Cassation sentenced Kabund, a former first vice-president of parliament who was arrested following a series of criticisms of Tshisekedi and his government after distancing himself from him shortly before, to 84 months in prison for spreading false news and insulting the president.