Republic of Congo: Militants attack prison, hundreds of prisoners escape

According to the news agency Reuters, twenty attackers stormed the prison with machine saws and guns.

(Image source: getty images)

The extremist organization has attacked the prison of Butembo in the Republic of Congo late at night and escaped more than 800 prisoners. 

Twenty attackers stormed the prison with machine saws and guns. Local authorities are blaming the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) for the attack.

The report said that during the attack, two policemen including a civilian were killed and the jail was also damaged.

Local police spokesman Antony Mwaloshai told reporters that "the number of attackers was around 80 who managed to break into the prison and let all the prisoners escape."

Later, prison director Brunelli Nkasa told Reuters that out of a total of 874 inmates, 58 remain.

Police spokesperson Mwaloshai says he can say with certainty that the ADF is behind the attack.

The ADF is a Ugandan militant organization that has been operating in the Congo since the 1990s. He is linked to ISIS. 

"The attackers came at two o'clock," Gilbert, an inmate of the prison, told AFP. He was from ADF. We were fast asleep when the shots started. Suddenly we got up.

Gilbert added of the attackers, "They had mechanical saws that they used to cut the locks." According to Gilbert, the prison had more than 900 inmates and now only 30 remain.

"The enemy has infiltrated," the city's police mayor, Mowa Baiki, told AFP. He has sneaked into our neighborhood. We should try to find them wherever they are hiding.'

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