The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) released 1685 mostly ill inmates from the country’s largest prison on Sunday amid ongoing efforts to reduce overcrowding at the facility.

The release from Makala Central Prison was announced by Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba to local media, which reported that the sick inmates were released due to overcrowding issues in prisons across the DRC. According to ABC News, released prisoners with the worst illnesses received immediate medical care and the government provided transportation home for all prisoners.

The government of the DRC is currently implementing a plan to ease overcrowding in prison facilities. This includes rehabilitation efforts, moving prisoners to institutions with more capacity, and the construction of new facilities.

Makala Central Prison was designed to hold 1,500 prisoners but was reported to hold over 12,000 inmates in October 2023. In addition to overcrowding, Amnesty International documented human rights violations such as the frequent withholding of adequate food, water, and medicine. The prison also reportedly holds men, women, and children together in the general population.

These conditions breach the standards outlined in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Rule 2.2 states that the individual needs of vulnerable prisoners must be taken into account, meaning that women and children should be held in separate wings within a prison setting. These standards also dictate that prisoners should be provided with meals that meet their nutritional needs, as well as access to clean drinking water and necessary medical care.

The decision to ease overcrowding through releases and the construction of new prisons appears to have been made following a large-scale escape attempt in early September.