At least 300 prisoners have broken out of a jail in the strife-torn North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, provincial governor Julien Paluku said Tuesday.
The jailbreak took place on Sunday at Butembo in the Beni territory, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the provincial capital Goma, Paluku and media reports said.
"The sources vary, but I would say that more than 300 prisoners - out of about 350 - escaped from the prison at Butembo," Paluku told AFP.
The UN-sponsored Radio Okapi reported that 372 inmates escaped, out of a total 399 detainees.
The mass escape took place after a local tribal Mai Mai militia force clashed with prison warders at the jail and disarmed those who resisted, Paluku said.
The Mai Mai were being taken by soldiers to Bunia, in neighbouring Orientale province, where they were to undergo military training before joining the army, when they stopped in Butembo, he added.
The Congolese army in 2012 began fighting a rebel group named M23 in North Kivu, and the province is rife with armed movements infamous for atrocities against civilians.
"We still don't know why, but the driver stopped in Butembo and some Mai Mai went off, saying that they planned to free those of their number in jail to go on together with them to Bunia," the governor said.
"The prison guards tried to stop them and then shooting broke out," he added. "The prisoners took advantage of the confusion to escape. There remained only about 15, and we have recaptured a score more."
"At the slightest resistance from the prison warders, they (the Mai Mai) disarmed them and fired several shots into the air. One prison guard was hit and seriously wounded," Omar Kavota, the deputy president of the federation of civil society non-governmental organisations in North Kivu, told AFP.
In a statement, the federation denounced "the army and Butembo police powerlessly looking on" and said that their lack of action was "close to complicity". The federation said it feared "a sharp rise in insecurity" in affected territories and called for the arrest of the escaped prisoners.
The governor's office has warned local community leaders from Butembo to Beni to "check out on houses" and inform the police if they find any suspects.
AFP
Tue Jan 15 2013
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.
Astro AWANI's revamped English news website, AWANI International, launches on Oct 21
Astro AWANI's revamped English platform delivers in-depth global news and expert analysis to keep you informed on key developments.