Riot in Yaounde central prison ends

Security forces in Cameroon took action on Monday night to prevent an escape of detainees from Yaoundé Central Prison.

“There were shots fired all night. It was like a fireworks display,” said one local resident.

Many detainees protested by vandalizing and setting fire to the prison facilities.

A video shot during the night’s incidents shows them cheering after this riot, the official outcomes of which are not yet known.

Detainees in Yaoundé‘s central prison began demonstrating on Monday afternoon, broadcasting live on Facebook their demands for a change in their food ration and their demand for release.

The overcrowded, central prison hosts many English-speaking activists arrested in the wake of the crisis in 2016. Some have been sentenced to heavy prison terms, others are still awaiting trial.