Bloody jailbreak attempt in Cameroon

By Yemti Harry Ndienla

At list one person was gunned down of what would have been another massive break in six weeks

An inmate of the New Bell Prison situated in the heart of Cameroon's economic capital of Douala, was plucked from the roofs of the run down structure by a guard’s bullet recently. According to the Herald Newspaper, Bedou Dakouo, was verging on blazing the trail of another massive breakout when he was surprised and immediately shot dead by a guard.

It should be noted here that the botched jailbreak attempt was the third in the past six weeks. Officials of the ramshackle penitentiary facility, who have since conveyed the remains of the slain former inmate to the morgue of the Laquintinie Hospital, said Bedou Dakouo was the pathfinder for a group of other inmates preparing to stage a massive breakout on the night he was killed.

anonymity, “We have no choice but to gun down fleeing inmates. They are usually armed with guns whose origins are hard to tell, and are likely to shoot at us in their mad bids to break free from the prison,” a prison official who begged for anonymity told the Herald.

Last 29 June, 15 detainees were gunned down in a frenzied exchange of gunfire as they attempted scaling the structure’s 3-metre-high fence to freedom. They had disconnected electricity supply on the premises to ease their escape. Two others were shot dead as they staged another escape attempt in the wee hours of the following morning, bringing the death toll to 17.

None of the guards, who were backed by police, gendarmes and fire-fighters, were hurt.

Guards who mounted a meticulous search of the prison seized three guns from inmates amidst unanswered head-spinning questions about how the inmates came into possession of the ammunitions. The prison registrar, Joseph Tsala Amougou, at the time, was barred from making any statements to the press.
Thus, the June prison break and the recent botched attempt all came as little surprise. Meanwhile, on 25 December 2007, a total 20 detainees escaped from the New Bell prison, successively staging one of the biggest breakouts at the dilapidated structure constructed way back in 1933 and left to rot under the pressures of age, neglect, wear and tear.

Chronic overcrowding engendered by prolonged pre-trial detentions has meant that the structure, with a maximum capacity of 700 inmates, averagely hosts 3200 detainees. Heightened deficiencies in food, health care, sanitation, escalating sexual promiscuity and violence have steadily worsened over time, to add to claims of torture and endemic corruption. Wealthy inmates are known to bribe guards for temporary freedom or court appearance.
Following prison reforms announced three years ago, the government announced plans to delocalize the New Bell Prison, today hemmed in the heart of town between the vivacious Douala Central Market and the populous New Bell neighborhood. But the plan has remained on paper.