Authorities in Uganda has launched a manhunt to recapture over 200 prisoners who escaped after a jailbreak in one of the country’s prisons.
The jailbreak reportedly occurred on Wednesday, September 16, near army Barracks in the Moroto district of North-East Uganda.
Uganda’s Prison Commissioner, Johnson Byabashaija, confirmed on Thursday, September 17, that the inmates overpowered the prison guards and escaped with weapons after being engaged in a shootout.
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The escaped prisoners were learnt to have seized guns from a government prison armoury in Moroto, before running and escaping to nearby mountains to take some cover.
“About 215 inmates are still on the run. Uganda’s prison service, working with the police and the army with support from ground and air assets, 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 the ground and helicopters to track them. The public is advised to stay calm,” Byabashaija disclosed.
While one inmate was shot during the escape, three were recaptured as the rest remain at large.
The escaped ones were learnt to have absconded towards Mount Moroto, where the manhunt operation is mainly at focus.
Prison Spokesman, Frank Baine added that the inmates were smart enough to shed their bright yellow jumpsuits in order to avoid aerial detection, and were also on half-foot naked.
The jailbreak is claimed to be one of the rarest cases of its kind in the history of Ugandan’s Prisons Service.
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