The Ziguinchor Prison and Correction Center (MAC) is in turmoil. The brutal death of Ibrahima Konté, a 41-year-old inmate, has sparked a wave of indignation among his fellow prisoners, who are demanding clear answers. While the prison administration speaks of a fatal illness, his cellmates speak of a “mysterious” death, denouncing deplorable conditions of detention and opaque management.
A death surrounded by gray areas
According to L’Observateur, the tragedy took place yesterday around 2:35 p.m. Ibrahima Konté, originally from the village of Djiboughère (Bignona department), was rushed to the Peace Hospital aboard a MAC van. When he arrived, doctors could only declare his death. The inert body of the inmate was deposited in the morgue at 2:43 p.m., but his fellow prisoners question the official version.
“He was in perfect health that morning,” prisoners told L’Observateur, expressing their anger and concern. “His death is brutal and plunges the entire prison into turmoil. We are calling for an independent investigation and an autopsy to understand what happened. »
A climate of fear and panic
This death caused a real wave of panic within the prison. According to L’Observateur, some detainees, already weakened by detention conditions, fear for their own safety. Overcrowding and dilapidated facilities are at the heart of their demands.
“Our cells look like the holds of slave ships. We live crowded together, deprived of dignity and fundamental rights,” the prisoners denounced.
A call to human rights defenders
Faced with this situation, the detainees launched a desperate appeal to human rights organizations. “Help us to put an end to prison overcrowding and inhumane treatment,” they implore, recalling that the death of Ibrahima Konté illustrates the failures of a prison system under pressure.
An investigation called for to shed light
The reasons for Ibrahima Konté’s arrest and incarceration remain unknown, but her death raises many questions. For L’Observateur, this drama also rekindles the debate on the management of prisons in Senegal, where overcrowding and detention conditions are regularly singled out.
As indignation mounts, eyes turn to the judicial and prison authorities. Will an independent investigation be opened to answer the detainees’ questions and restore a semblance of confidence within the Ziguinchor MAC?
