The violence occurred on November 11, 2023, at 5:30 pm , in Adha prison in Mekelle , the capital city of Tigray Region ,according to Emmanuel Fisha, the Coordinating Commander of the Mekelle Correctional Facility, who spoke with Tigray Television.
The prison revealed that when 125 prisoners attempted to break out, security personnel arrested them.
It is reported that prisoners used the disturbance as an opportunity to take 12 cell phones from the restaurant staff at the prison, assault the security officers physically, and attempt to flee.
According to sources, some prisoners don’t think the charges that prompted their confinement were insufficient, and others gripe about the prison system’s poor food and unhygienic surroundings. Additionally, several inmates claim that their human rights are often violated by the jail authorities. which prompts them to try using violence and break out of the jail.
Commander Emmanuel Fisha reported that although 112 of the prisoners who fled after receiving this warning were apprehended by stepping up security, four of them were slain in the process.
According to information from the correctional centre, four of the seven police officers who were attacked by prisoners who attempted to flee are critically injured, while three more are receiving treatment.
The correctional facility’s guards fired rounds into the air to signal for assistance as the disturbance began.
The ensuing mayhem was momentarily subdued. However, the residents said that in order to prevent it from happening again, the appropriate authorities, the prisoners, and the security personnel should have a quick conversation and safely resolve the matter.
There have been efforts to ignite homes in an effort to keep the riots going even today. However, a well-coordinated security effort is said to have thwarted the attempt. According to Commander Amaniel Fisha, efforts are underway to safely conclude the war while concurrently examining its underlying causes.