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10 killed in attempted prison break in Ivory Coast

Monday, 22 February 2016 1:50 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 22 February 2016 1:49 PM ]

Ivorian police officers leave a prison on February 20, 2016 in Abidjan, after a prison guard and an inmate were killed during a mutiny. (AFP photo)

Officials in Ivory Coast have confirmed that 10 people were killed and close to two dozen injured in a recent attempted prison break at the country’s main detention center in the economic capital of Abidjan.

Attorney General Aly Yeo said Monday that nine prisoners and a guard were killed in the prison break.

He said eight other staff and 13 prisoners were also injured in the failed jail break.

The riot began Saturday morning between 0800 and 0900 GMT when prisoners armed with Kalashnikovs attacked the staff. The clashes were triggered when the guards prevented an ex-inmate from transferring drugs into the Abidjan prison. The riot was put down on Sunday. How the inmates obtained the weapons is under investigation.

Some 5,000 prisoners are serving their terms in Abidjan’s prison, a facility that has a capacity of around 1,500 inmates, according to official data. The prison, which is also known by its acronym MACA, experienced extensive breakouts in 2012.

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