This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/6088010.stm
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Shooting at main Congolese prison | Shooting at main Congolese prison |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Gunfire has broken out outside the main prison in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, where tensions are high ahead of elections. | |
| The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman says armed police are outside the jail and there are scenes of panic as civilians flee. | The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman says armed police are outside the jail and there are scenes of panic as civilians flee. |
| He says a riot is believed to have started after relatives were stopped from bringing food to prisoners after a breakout earlier in the week. | He says a riot is believed to have started after relatives were stopped from bringing food to prisoners after a breakout earlier in the week. |
| The escapees were convicted of killing former President Laurent Kabila. | The escapees were convicted of killing former President Laurent Kabila. |
| An inmate told the BBC that at least one person was wounded in the shooting. | An inmate told the BBC that at least one person was wounded in the shooting. |
| Laurent Kabila's son, Joseph, is now president and faces former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba in a presidential run-off on Sunday. | Laurent Kabila's son, Joseph, is now president and faces former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba in a presidential run-off on Sunday. |
| href="/1/hi/world/africa/4876668.stm" class="">Kabila's kingdom href="/1/hi/world/africa/6085536.stm" class="">Bemba: rebel contender | |
| The 14 soldiers who escaped earlier had been sentenced to death for their role in the 2001 assassination. | |
| They were among scores of people convicted for Mr Kabila's death. | |
| Our correspondent says the event around the prison on Thursday afternoon looked spontaneous. | |
| But he says those accused of Mr Kabila's murder expected to be released before the election as part of an amnesty but the Supreme Court ruled against it. | |
| From outside the prison our reporter saw plumes of smoke were rising from the complex and riot police arriving to reinforce security. | |
| Tensions are high in DR Congo ahead of Sunday's presidential vote because the two candidates were belligerents in the civil war and both still have loyal armed forces. | |
| The second round will conclude the country's first fully democratic polls since independence in 1960. |