Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Rioting inmates rape 20 prisoners


RIOTING inmates have raped 20 women in failed prison break in Democratic Republic of Congo's violence-ravaged east

The UN has blamed the incident on lack of food and healthcare.

Two people were killed and 12 others were injured when prisoners detonated two grenades inside the central prison in Goma, capital of the eastern border province of North Kivu, during an overnight escape attempt that began late on Sunday.

"The group of mutinying prisoners ... raped around 20 female inmates," said the statement released late on Monday by the UN mission, known as MONUC.

Congolese police and military surrounded the prison, which holds a number of rebel and militia fighters, soon after the riots began, and no prisoners escaped.

With small budgets and poor facilities, Congolese prisons are generally overcrowded. Malnutrition and easily preventable illnesses are common. In many cases, soldiers, women, and children are mixed in with the general inmate population.

The United Nations blames a growing wave of attempted jail breaks and mutinies on a lack of food and access to healthcare in Congo's prison system.

New York-based rights campaigner Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Congolese authorities of repeatedly ignoring calls to improve the country's crumbling prison infrastructure and failing to protect vulnerable inmates.

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