The Mongo official confirmed there were three dead, and put the total number of escaped prisoners at 132.
During a shootout that resulted in the deaths of three individuals and injured a state governor who was visiting the facility, more than one hundred inmates managed to escape from a prison in Chad, according to officials who spoke to AFP on Saturday.
Late on Friday, an uprising took place in the high-security penitentiary that is located five kilometers (three miles) from the town of Mongo, which is located in the middle of the country. This was the moment when the break out occurred.
“There are around 100 who escaped, three dead and three wounded,” Hassan Souleymane Adam, secretary general of the Guera province in which Mongo is located, said.
A local Mongo official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said prisoners broke into a manager’s office to steal guns.
“A shootout with guards ensued, at the same time the governor arrived. He was wounded,” he said.
The Mongo official confirmed there were three dead, and put the total number of escaped prisoners at 132.
He said the prisoners revolted after complaining about a lack of food.
Chad’s Justice Minister Youssouf Tom told AFP by telephone that he was about to fly to region and would be able to give “precise information once I am at Mongo in the coming hours”.
Reporters were also informed by Hassan Soulyeman, an official from the province, that the mass escape was made possible by accomplices of inmates who were outside.
He claimed that some elements helped sneak weapons into the prison, which led to a concerted attack; in the midst of the gunfire, over 130 detainees escaped.
He stated that Abdoulaye Ibrahim Siam, the province governor of Guera, and his bodyguards were among the injured after being shot.
Public Security Minister Ahmat Akhabach reportedly paid a visit to Mongo to take stock of the situation, according to media sources.