A deadly riot at a prison in Sri Lanka was triggered by a conflict between two groups of inmates over drug smuggling inside the facility, a senior government official confirmed Tuesday.
The violence unfolded over two days at the prison located in Negombo, a coastal town roughly 35 kilometers — about 20 miles — north of the commercial capital, Colombo. When the fighting finally ended, 26 people were dead, including seven prison officials, and dozens more had been injured.
Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara told parliament that early investigations indicate the conflict began after a small number of prisoners informed authorities about an attempt to smuggle drugs into the prison.
“This had angered a second group of inmates who were supporting the smuggling. This was what started the clash,” Nanayakkara told lawmakers.
He went on to describe how the situation rapidly worsened once prison staff tried to step in. “When prison officials attempted to intervene it had escalated. Prisoners attacked prison officials with bricks and poles. Prison officials fired in self-defence. At the moment we are unaware of how prisoners got possession of weapons. Investigations into these details are ongoing,” he said.
Nanayakkara also noted that a small number of inmates had managed to knock out the prison’s CCTV camera system during the unrest.
To help address severe overcrowding in the aftermath, 734 prisoners were transferred to four other facilities on Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Prisons. The Negombo prison was housing approximately 2,400 inmates at the time of the riot, far exceeding its intended capacity of around 650, according to the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners.
Dozens of police officers and special forces units were deployed to restore order on Monday, and around 100 people — both inmates and prison staff — received hospital treatment for their injuries. Military personnel with armored vehicles remained stationed outside the prison as of Tuesday.
Sri Lanka has seen deadly prison unrest before. A riot in November 2020 left 11 inmates dead, and a separate incident in Colombo in 2012 resulted in 27 fatalities.
