El Khidj prison mutiny

El Khidj prison mutiny
Part of Salamati Civil War
Location	Bani Nordine, near Hani, Salamat
Date	February 6 1996 - February 10 1996 (UTC-01:00)
Target	Guards, then prisoners
Attack type	Mutiny
Deaths	1219
Non-fatal injuries	unknown
Perpetrators	Prisoners in the El Khidj prison, supported by the AIG.
Motive	Islamic fundamentalism

The El Khidj prison mutiny was an important event of the Salamati Civil war which started on February 6 1996 after hundreds of prisoners convicted for terrorism or its apology, revolted against the guards of the prison due to their small food rations, small quantities of non-treated water which would render them sick, torture and archaic medical care.

Event

Prior to the mutiny, the anger and the message of revolt against the guards spread during the outside time for prisoners allocated every two days. Tensions between guards and prisoners convicted for terrorism increased since November 1995, and even more after the Attack on the subway in mid-December. Guards would be harassed, prisoners tortured even harder and guards would move prisoners to very small cells with no toilets, no food, no water and no light. Those cells were built by the Riamese to punish disobedient Salamati independentists, and most would die in these cells.

On the morning of February 6 1996, the signal was given to start the mutiny. While being conducted to the outside area of the prison for their outside time, prisoners attacked guards, took their maces and guns and raided the whole prison. Guards, the penitentiary administration, the director and even non-islamist prisoners.

Torture was employed on all opponents, the guards would be jailed in the small cells and the director beaten to death. A telegram asking for help was sent on February 8 1996, presumably by a guard which managed to sneak in the director's room, which was reportedly guarded by prisoners.

The next day (February 9), at dawn, special forces and the army raided the prison. At first, they met harsh resistance from the prisoners. But they quickly ran out of ammunition and hid in the prison. A stalemate was installed and quickly the army and special forces reorganized and changed their tactic. During this "stalemate", prisoners rose the flag of the AIG on the flagpole on the prison's roof, marking their clear opposition and disgust of the Salamati government.

At 11:00 pm, the signal was given to launch the assault. Most militants were at the time sleeping inside of the prison or torturing guards and opponents. Special forces raided from the northwest and the east entrance, and the army from the southwest. The order was clear ; kill all prisoners, which were distinguishable by their yellow clothes. The intervention was brutal ; by the end of the night, most of the prisoners were shot, or massacred. The prison was a bloodbath ; 1219 were killed in the entire mutiny, including 11 guards, 6 administration staff, 23 soldiers (incl. special forces) and 1179 prisoners, the majority being convicted for terrorism. No prisoner was spared and the prison was declared empty the next day.

El Khidj prison remained closed since then and was demolished in 2003 on request of the government. The area which was once the prison is now an uncultivated field in the middle of Hani's suburbs, and the evocation of the mutiny is a taboo subject in the Salamati society.