Dozens escape prison in African state

Liberian authorities have blamed the incident on a breach in the facility’s security system

Around 47 inmates have escaped from a maximum-security prison in Liberia’s Margibi County, near the capital, Monrovia, the West African nation’s justice ministry reported on Monday.

The incident at the Kakata Central Prison occurred over the weekend, and according to preliminary investigations, it was due to a breach in the facility’s security system, the ministry said in a statement.

“The Ministry of Justice is deeply concerned about this incident and is taking all necessary measures to ensure the recapture of the escaped inmates,” it stated.

“The Liberia National Police has deployed additional officers to assist in the search and apprehension of the escaped inmates,” the ministry added.

While urging the escaped inmates to surrender in order to avoid facing additional charges, the authority warned the public against harboring fugitives, which is a criminal offense.

READ MORE: Dozens killed in attempted jailbreak in African state

Earlier, the local daily FrontPage Africa reported that more than 100 prisoners, including both those serving out sentences and pre-trial detainees, had escaped from Kakata on Sunday morning. The outlet claimed the prisoners had overpowered the guards on duty, injuring several of them.

Africa’s oldest republic has a history of prison breaks, as the facilities are frequently overcrowded. Inmates lack access to essential supplies such as adequate food and medical care. Last year, there were fears of jailbreaks in some Liberian prisons due to food shortages at the country’s 15 penal facilities, including the Monrovia Central Prison, which holds around 1,500 prisoners, far more than its capacity of 370. A similar situation in 2022 reportedly forced the jail and two others to temporarily stop admitting new inmates.

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Previously, in April 2021, Liberian authorities reported that some 90 inmates had escaped from the Harper Central correctional facility in Maryland County after protesters stormed the premises and set it on fire in search of a suspect who had allegedly killed a motorcyclist.

The latest escape, from Kakata Central Prison, came exactly one week after authorities in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo announced that 129 people had been killed while attempting to flee Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa.