LUBUMBASHI: Nearly 1,000 inmates escaped from a Congolese prison Wednesday in a spectacular raid by masked gunmen to spring a militia leader from death row, only weeks before presidential polls.

Officials in eastern Katanga province said the eight gunmen took advantage of visiting day to slip in unnoticed on a minivan at the jail where “Commander Gedeon”, a top leader of the Mai-Mai community-based militia, was being held.

“They opened fire on the police and the military guards, killing two,” Katanga provincial interior minister Dikanga Kazadi said.

“They freed a former militia leader and a total of 967 inmates, 150 of whom have already been brought back in,” Kazadi added.

Witnesses told AFP they saw more than two bodies including guards and visitors but officials did not confirm this.

The brazen attack on the Kassapa prison, on the outskirts of Lubumbashi, happened at around 10:30 am, the minister said.

Lubumbashi is the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s second largest city and one of the resource-rich country’s major mining hubs.

“Commander Gedeon was the first one to be freed,” said Kazadi.

Late afternoon calm returned to the prison. Part of the wall surrounding the compound was destroyed in the attack and Republican Guards protected the scene.

In March 2009, a military court in Katanza found Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga – his real name – guilty on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, insurgent activity and terrorism.

The crimes he was convicted for took place between 2003 and 2006 in the Mitwaba, Pweto and Manono regions of the vast, mineral-rich Katanga province.

“After freeing this high-profile detainee, the attackers asked all the other prisoners to leave,” the interior ministry official said, adding that a helicopter was scanning the area in a bid to track down scattered fugitives.

Mutanga’s escape comes weeks ahead of November 28 elections in which President Joseph Kabila is widely expected to seek re-election although his candidacy is not yet official.

Tension has risen in recent days, notably after a man was killed on Tuesday when police broke up a demonstration by opposition supporters protesting the sacking of their party headquarters.

The Roman Catholic Church, United Nations, United States and European Union all urged restraint Wednesday ahead of the election, voicing alarm that the country was on the brink of an escalation of political violence.

Human Rights Watch had in 2009 hailed Mutanga’s conviction as a major step in the country’s efforts to bring to justice some of the key perpetrators of the Congolese conflict.

“This conviction is a victory for the victims of Gedeon and his Mai-Mai militia, who inflicted horrific atrocities on thousands of people in central Katanga,” the watchdog had said at the time.

Mai-Mai militia were armed and equipped by Laurent-Desire Kabila, the current president’s father, in his rebellion against dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was toppled in 1997.

The Mai Mai – an umbrella name for a patchwork of armed groups led by warlords, tribal leaders and politically-motivated fighters – were also used against rebel troops backed by Rwanda in the 1998-2003 war.

However at the end of the war some militia leaders refused to hand back their arms, saying they had not been properly compensated for their support for the government.

The Congolese military has always denied having any links with Mutanga’s group or with the Mai-Mai still active in the western Kivu region.