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| Wednesday, November 03, 2004, 19:54 | Africa's first online newspaper est. 1994 |
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"The situation is permanently tense," said Antoine Foucher of the French aid group Médécins sans Frontières, which works at the prison. "It needs very little to degenerate." Military police struggled overnight to quell the uprising, which began on Tuesday when inmates launched a riot over water shortages. At least 30 prisoners were injured in the violence, nine of them seriously. It was not immediately clear how the fatalities were incurred. Prison guards tried to put down the riot on Tuesday by firing into the air and using tear gas. On Wednesday, gunshots were also heard at the prison, but the origin of the gunfire was unclear, Foucher said. Water has been cut off for several days in Abidjan's northern Yopougon district, which forced prison authorities to ration remaining supplies, a Justice Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Water shortages often occur in Côte d'Ivoire and many other African cities. Several prisoners managed to escape during Tuesday's chaos, the Justice Ministry official said. Médécins sans Frontières runs a health and sanitary programme at the prison. Foucher said the agency's offices there were also looted. The prison was built to hold about 1 500 people, but is now severely overcrowded with about 5 500 inmates, Foucher said. Côte d'Ivoire has been divided between the rebel-held north and government-held south since a failed coup attempt in September 2002 sparked months of civil war in the world's top cocoa producer. -- Sapa-AP  Talkback: Have your say about this article Daily cellphone alerts: Get news headlines by SMS Daily Newsletter: Get the news by e-mailAFRICA | HOMEPAGE 
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