High profile inmate escapes from Rumbek prison

By Manyang Mayom

March 23, 2011 (RUMBEK) – A man arrested for masterminding the clashes of December last year between the Thiyic and Gony sections of the Dinka tribe managed to escape from Lakes state main correctional prison services on Monday night.

Angui-alou Madit Maluac was sentenced to jail for having masterminded tribal violence last year. He was also convicted of killing of a man in the same clashes.

Despite, what officials describe as, tight security around Rumbek’s main correctional prison, Madit managed to escape at 1:00pm. Six other inmates who were also trying to escape were captured by prison guards.

According to the acting director of Rumbek prison Lieutenant Colonel Khamis Angui Dhuor, Madit had managed to escape after he cut the window of the cell’s bathroom.

Dhuor explained that the man escaped from the prison before the security guards were aware of the brake out. The rest of the prisoners were seen by prison warders who opened fire on them inside the prison.

The prison head said that, two official prison guards had been arrested and were accused of facilitating Madit’s escape by giving the prisoners a metal saw. The official prison guards accused included Arop Thawat Malual who brought metal saw to prisoners and Gai Malual Manyiel, one of prison warders who gave the metal saw to the escapee on the night.

Dhuor said that two people are now held in the custody so that they can both explain their actions in court.

He stressed that the two people involved in the process must have been bribed by the parents of the accused to plan Madit’s escape but now they must face the consequences.

Dhuor warned that lives of prisoners have been jeopardized because the prison administration no longer allows food from outside to be given to the prisoners. He said that as bringing food from outside the prison had been used in planning the escape, the practice had been stopped.

He said that his administration will put an electric wire fence all over the wall to avoid further escape attempts.

(ST)