Authorities in Uganda have launched a manhunt to recapture no fewer than 215 prisoners that escaped from jail after stealing weapons and fled to the north-eastern part of the country.
The jailbreak occurred on Wednesday afternoon, September 16, near the army barracks in the district of Moroto in northeast Uganda.
The country’s prison commissioner, Johnson Byabashaija told AFP on Thursday September 17, that the inmates overpowered their guards and escaped with weapons in after a shootout.
The commissioner stated; “The prisoners seized guns from the armoury at a government prison in Moroto, about 460km from Kampala, before dashing for the cover of nearby mountains.”
He expressed; “About 215 inmates are still on the run. Uganda’s prison service is working with the police and army with support from ground and air asserts, have been deployed to rearrest the inmates. There is concern that some guns are in the wrong hands but these will be recaptured . We have enough forces on ground and the helicopters to track them. The public is advised to stay calm.”
Byabashaija noted; “One inmate was shot during g the escape, three others were recaptured, but the rest are at large, having escaped towards Mount Moroto where our operation is focussing at the moment.”
Prison spokesman, Frank Baine added, “Some of the inmates had shed their bright yellow jumpsuits to avoid aerial detection and were on foot half-naked.”
Mr. Baine described the jailbreak as “one of the rarest cases of its kind in the history of Uganda’s Prison Service”.
Comments are closed.