One killed in N. Bahr el Ghazal prison shooting

August7, 2013 (JUBA) – One inmate was killed and three others injured in a Tuesday evening prison shooting in Northern Barhel Ghazal, eye witnesses said on Wednesday.

The authorities say the cause of the shooting was an attempt by prisoners to escape from the facility.

The prisoners were reportedly protesting a lack of food, congestion and denial of access to legal and medical services.

At the time of filing this report, it was unclear what circumstances led to the use of weapons consequently leading to the death of one prisoner and injuring others.

But Paul Nyon, the director of prison service in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal confirmed the incident but said the situation had been brought under control.

“This situation is now under control and I will let you know more about what happened after receiving full report from the duty officer. By tomorrow I will speak on the issue. Investigation is still on and the information we have is sketchy. You know it is not good to say one thing today and say another one tomorrow,’’ said Paul Nyon.

However a prison warden from Aweil town told Sudan Tribune that the shooting was triggered by an ‘‘attempt by prisoners’’ to escape and described the death of one prisoner as ‘‘unfortunate’’.

The prison warder said a prisoner attempted to snatch a gun from a warder with the intent of making a jail break but that this plan was foiled.

“One inmate was unfortunately shot dead while trying to escape, forcing others to retreat to the confines of the prisons. Three other inmates who tried to escape were shot at to prevent their escape. They did not die but sustained injury and are admitted in the hospital now,’’ the warder said.

‘‘They are in critical condition but I think they will be okay if immediate care is given”, said another warden in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune.

Paul Nyon, the director of prison service in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal declined to comment on allegations that the attempted jail break was caused by poor living condition for prisoners and their lack of access to medical and legal services.

The director however admitted that the prison faces a problem of inadequate space and that he has shared this challenge with the relevant authorities.

“The capacity of the prison was meant for 250 but now it is housing more than 700 people. We have requested for expansion but you know the government has introduced the austerity measures”, he said.

A source with knowledge of the condition of the prison said the prison faces several challenges besides space.

“I always go there. The problem facing the prison is more than the space issue. The inmates do not have food. They do not get access to medical care. Some of them just die in the prison. There are those who have been in the prison for years without being taken to court. They do not know what charges they are held for. This is a complicated situation to talk about”, he said.

(ST)