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Some 300 inmates escaped from a prison in the eastern Congolese town of Bukavu during the 26 May-8 June occupation by dissident soldiers, raising fears of an escalation in crime, a judicial official said on Monday.
"As they entered Bukavu, the dissident forces destroyed the prison allowing nearly 300 inmates to disappear into the bush," Jean-Pierre Kalihira, a magistrate in Bukavu, said.
He said the prisoners escaped when the dissidents, led by Gen Laurent Nkunda and Col Jules Mutebutsi, seized Bukavu, sparking a wave of instability in the town as well as in the wider South Kivu Province.
"We are worried that the escapes would have an impact on the crime rate within the city because some of them had been convicted of murder and armed robbery, others were former military," Kalihira said. "We are also worried because many of the escaped prisoners were repeat offenders.
He said 16 women and three children were among the escapees. Some of the escapees headed for the Rwandan border, others for neighbouring Congolese towns and villages.
Calm has prevailed in Bukavu since 9 June when loyalist troops re-entered the town. Troops from the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also been patrolling the town's streets since the dissidents withdrew on 8 June.
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