How over 2000 prisoners escaped from Bukavu Central Prison #rwanda #RwOT

On February 14, 2025, as the M23 group prepared to enter the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, soldiers and police officers in the city, including those guarding the Bukavu Central Prison, all fled.

What many people noticed was that as soon as the soldiers and police left the city, 2300 inmates at Bukavu Central Prison, known as Prison Centrale de Bukavu, also all escaped.

In an interview with IGIHE, Ilunga Dilamunga Nkonde, who was in charge of the prison, revealed that it was around 10 PM when those responsible for the prison's security fled.

"It was around 10 PM when the soldiers guarding the inmates at Prison Centrale de Bukavu realized that M23 was about to enter the city and they fled. The prisoners immediately broke down the doors and escaped. We didn't know what to do because we had no guns, and the police had left,' he said.

The former director mentioned that the prison held 2376 inmates, including women even though the prison has the capacity to accommodate 500 inmates.

Ilunga expressed regret that it was being vandalized by thieves stealing its roofing materials. 'I request AFC/M23 to send soldiers to protect this prison so that it does not continue to be destroyed, as it will have nowhere to incarcerate offenders.'

Residents in the city of Bukavu, particularly in Panzi, told IGIHE that in the evening hours, there were people waiting for residents on the road to rob them and that they suspect this was being carried out by gangs that were previously incarcerated in Bukavu Central Prison.

The spokesperson for AFC/M23, Laurence Kanyuka, stated that the issue of escaped prisoners was not limited to the city of Bukavu as the same situation occurred in the city of Goma.

"As we did in Goma, we are establishing means to gather information on the escaped prisoners. We did this in Goma, and today Goma is secure. We are going to implement it here in Bukavu; we have set up a hotline for residents to call when they have a security issue, and we have established a means to ensure residents' safety,' he said.