20 inmates killed, several others injured in Madagascar prison riot

Tragedy struck at the prison in Farafagana in Madagascar at around 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) when no fewer than 20 inmates were killed and several others injured when a deadly riot broke out.

The justice ministry in a statement on Sunday said that authorities attempted to stop a riot in a prison in the south of the island after inmates split into two groups and attacked guards with stones.

20 inmates were shot dead and eight prisoners were seriously injured as the authorities tried to regain control while twenty-nine others were also recaptured, but by 16:00 local time 31 inmates were still free, according to the justice ministry.

It is not clear how the violence began but in 2018 Amnesty International reported that Madagascar’s prisons were “dilapidated, ill-equipped, with [a] lack of financial, material and general support”.

The report by Amnesty International also highlighted how people can spend years in pre-trial detention.