Dozens escape from prison in island state

38 inmates simply walked out through the front gates of a penitentiary in Comoros due to negligence on the part of security guards

Thirty-eight prisoners fled a prison in the East African country of Comoros on Thursday by simply walking out through the main gate, according to the local authorities.  

Negligence on the part of the security guards is what allowed the jailbreak from Moroni Prison, public prosecutor Ali Mohamed Djounaid told Reuters. Moroni is the capital of Comoros, an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean.   

“The prisoners took the opportunity to escape through the normal gate,” Djounaid said. He claimed that an investigation into the incident has already been initiated.   

According to AFP, the prosecutor stated that “negligence on the part of the security guards was the cause of the escape.”  

Djounaid suggested that the prison break might have been coordinated by a soldier who was apprehended in connection with the death of a football fan who was shot by security personnel during a rush of supporters prior to a World Cup qualifier last year.  

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“The escape was instigated by the soldier who fired the shots at the Malouzini football stadium in Moroni that led to the death of young Fahad Moindze,” the public prosecutor claimed.  

This jailbreak from Moroni Prison, the largest penitentiary in the country, is not the first such incident. In 2022, 23 prisoners also escaped from the prison although they were swiftly apprehended.