Mass Jailbreak in Goma Resulted in More Than 150 Woman Being Raped and Burned Alive, the UN Reports

On 27th of January, Monday, a mass jailbreak occurred in the prison Munzenze of Goma, Congo. Almost all of the male prisoners, estimated to be over 4000, fled the prison, leaving it empty and dilapidated. 

During this event, over 150 female inmates were raped and burnt to death by a fire started in the female block of Munzenze; an incident that was perpetrated by the fleeing male prisoners, an UN spokesperson reported.

An UN document overseen by the BBC stated that between 165 to 167 women were raped and/or assaulted by male inmates. Seif Magango, a UN Human Rights Office spokesperson told CNN that “most of the 165 female prisoners who were raped by escaping male inmates died in the fire.” He further told CNN that between 9 to 13 women who all were raped survived the fire set by the escaping men, citing  a “judicial source in the DRC” as the basis of his information, the CNN reported.

DRC officials came out with official statements, confirming the incident and the numbers. The Congolese communication minister, Patrick Muyaya, verified the rape, saying that the “the government condemns with the greatest energy this barbaric crime.” 

Although the number of women killed or raped were not officially authenticated, as multiple source gave out different numbers, it is almost certain that the male prisoners were responsible for the rapes and deaths of at least 150 female prisoners.

This major escape occurred possibly because of M23 allied rebel groups’ success in taking control over Goma after multiple fights against the Congolese police forces. Radio Okapi, a Congolese UN-sponsored newsletter, commented on the correlation between the acts of M23 and the prison break in Munzenze, linking the group as a possible aid to the escaping male convicts. 

Footage surfaced showing the prison in smoke as heavy gunfire was heard in the background. Questions rose whether M23 were directly involved in the incident, helping the inmates escape and perhaps attack the female inmates.

M23 has been conducting multiple incidents of attacks in the city of Goma against the Congolese police for the past few weeks, leaving the city in total ruin. After the men escaped, the situation escalated, plunging the city into deeper chaos. 

Footages of bodies lying in the street and men believed to be the escaping prisoners roaming in the city arose after the jailbreak. At least 2.900 people were killed because of the fights and only 2000 of them were burried, leaving 900 or more bodies still in the cities morgue.

Even though the rebel attacking groups announced a ceasefire on humanitarian ground, stating they intent to protect civillians, their offensive acts around the country of Congo continued, contradicting their words.

The wherebouts of the feeling convicts is currently unkown, it is very likely that they joined M23 allied rebel groups. The situation in Congo remains conflicted and no clear signs of resolvement are seen yet. As more news come out, we’ll make sure to report it on our page.

Author: Defne DOGAN