Above, the metal roof is rusted and brittle, its corroded sheets streaked with reddish-brown stains, some sections appearing fragile enough to collapse under the weight of time.
A strong stench fills the air as we step through the open iron doors, their thick rust causing them to creak and groan with each movement, their corroded edges rough to the touch.
It was within these dilapidated walls that more than 2,000 prisoners escaped as government forces (FARDC) fled the city while M23 rebels advanced.
Multiple sources confirmed to IGIHE that the city's main prison, tucked within the residential area of Avenue De L'Abattoire, was emptied on Saturday, February 15, 2025.
A provincial official and a Congolese army source in Bukavu told Reuters that soldiers had freed some prisoners, while others took advantage of the chaos to escape.
Inside, the scene is pure chaosâ€"discarded clothing, plastic bottles, basins, and buckets litter the floors. Broken furniture lies in disarray, while overturned beds and shattered wooden frames create a nightmarish scene, straight out of a horror movie.
The small cells are in a deplorable state, with ugly, cracked walls stained by years of neglect. The floors are covered in layers of grime and dirt, with cracks running through the concrete, and some parts uneven and worn down. The once-white walls have turned a sickly shade of grey, their surfaces pockmarked and peeling, telling a grim story of the harsh conditions inmates endured behind closed doors. It's hard to believe that human beings once lived here!
Residents who spoke to us recounted that the mass breakout happened under the cover of night. Prisoners, along with opportunistic locals, ransacked the facility, looting its stores before vanishing into the darkness.
"It was at night when we heard a commotion from the prison. We saw them flee with sacks of beans, maize, mattresses, blankets, and other valuables," a resident who lives in a story apartment adjacent to the prison told us.
Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23 Spokesperson, said that while some of the escaped prisonersâ€"many of whom were hardened criminalsâ€"had surrendered to the rebel group, the majority remained at large, posing a security risk to local communities.
Kanyuka revealed that the mass breakout of inmates is one of the many challenges M23 is addressing in the area.
"When we arrived in Bukavu, we found hellâ€"a nightmare. It looked like a horror film. People were distraught, their homes looted and destroyed. But now, since our arrival, people are happy that we are here. As we entered the city, people applauded, relieved by our presence," he remarked.
Citing the persecution of Congolese Rwandophones in eastern Congo, who have endured decades of marginalization and have been forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Rwanda, Kanyuka said M23 would do everything to protect the population in the capital of the South Kivu Province.
"We cannot stand by and watch as our people are destroyed and killed by the DRC government, which is supposed to protect our compatriots from the criminals of FARDC and their allied forces."
Kanyuka also urged any Congolese soldiers still in hiding to surrender, promising that M23, now tightening its grip on Bukavu, Goma, and other strategic towns in eastern Congo, would facilitate their reintegration into military service or civilian life.
He reiterated the need for the Congolese government to end atrocities against Congolese Rwandophones, even as various groups continue to call for dialogue to resolve the ongoing conflict in the troubled eastern region.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
