At least two people are now known to have died after Monday’s riot in Abéché prison, 900 kilometres east of the Chadian capital N’Djaména.
By Adam Hassane Deyé
Some 20 others were injured, including a Chadian army general, security sources reported.
The detainees themselves set fire inside the penitentiary before calling for help, local sources say, adding that a large security unit was immediately deployed to the prisons to nip the violence in the bud.
However, exchanges of gunfire broke out after prisoners seized guns inside the prison, according to various sources.
“The smoke can be seen from afar,” said a city dweller.
The situation is tense in the city of Abéché and the population is waiting to hear more.
A civil servant working in Abéché told APA that this was not the first riot by the prisoners.
“They often set fire within the prison to try to escape,” he said.
AHD/cat/lb/as/APA