An estimation of between 900 and 930 prisoners escaped from jail in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the provincial governor in the northeastern town of Beni, at least 11 people were also killed during the incident when a group of still unidentified assailants raided a jail in the country.
Julien Paluku, the governor of the North Kivu province said in a statement on Sunday that amongst the eleven killed during the escape, eight were prison guards.
“The assailants used heavy weapons during the raiding of the jail,” said Governor Paluku in addition.
“Only the army and the police have the right to investigate reaching the roots of the unfortunate scenario and bring the enemy who started to flee at around 3:30pm under control,” explained Paluku.
“Right now, just about 30 prisoners are remaining enclosed in the facility and a curfew is now in place around Beni and the surrounding areas,” he further elaborated.
However, sources indicate of how so insecure the country has grown to be since December last year, when the country’s President Joseph Kabila refused to step down despite the expiration of his term in power.
Following the prison breaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this attack is the recent one and the forth as the country had already experienced several in the past few months.
In May this year, news was reported from a high security prison in the country’s capital Kinshasa, when 4000 inmates escaped from the jail. The attack then was blamed on a separatist sect.
