Hidden between the dense Banco rainforest and the bustling working-class suburb of Yopougon lies the Abidjan Prison and Correctional Facility (MACA), the largest penitentiary in Côte d’Ivoire. Originally built in the 1970s following a European model, MACA was designed to house around 1,500 inmates. Today, it routinely holds between 5,000 and over 7,000 inmates, resulting in a density rate nearly 300% above capacity and creating one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises behind bars.
MACA is less a state-run institution and more a micro-society governed by its own informal, brutal, and paradoxically stable code—a system defined by "conflicting solidarities" between guards and the incarcerated.
The Overcrowding Crisis and Inhumane Conditions
The sheer weight of the inmate population has rendered the original infrastructure obsolete and the legal system overwhelmed.
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Extreme Density: Inmate testimonies and human rights reports describe prisoners sleeping head-to-toe on the floor, often without mattresses, due to the lack of space.
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Health and Hygiene: Lack of running water, non-functional toilets, and unsanitary conditions lead to widespread illness. This is further aggravated by the fact that many inmates, particularly children and juveniles, are detained in MACA while awaiting trial for months or even years, violating Ivorian law. Over a third (36%) of the prison population is comprised of pre-trial detainees.
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The "Home of Excrement": In one of Côte d’Ivoire’s many languages (Anyi), prison is colloquially called the "home of excrement" (bìí sùà), reflecting the societal perception of banishment and abandonment associated with MACA.
Conflicting Solidarities: How MACA Governs Itself
The overwhelming overcrowding and chronic understaffing by official guards have forced the emergence of complex internal systems of governance. Power is decentralized, resting largely in the hands of inmate leaders (sometimes called "black-coats" or "prisoners-managers").
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The Inmate Code: Within the walls, daily life is organized by an informal hierarchy built on both violence and solidarity. Long-tenured prisoners exert control, sometimes extorting new inmates for basic access to decent sleeping cells—a practice known as the "Baygon System."
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Shared Authority: Paradoxically, these inmate leaders enforce norms and even assist guards in managing welfare and communication. Guards rely on these self-ordering principles to maintain a fragile stability, effectively outsourcing control to the incarcerated population.
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Corruption and Privilege: Corruption is pervasive. Reports indicate that guards often allow cell phones and other contraband in exchange for bribes. Foreign nationals or corporate executives sometimes enjoy "privileged" conditions in separate blocks, exposing a hierarchy based on wealth and political connection that mirrors the outside world.
The Historical and Political Dimension
MACA is not immune to Côte d’Ivoire's volatile political history. The prison's gates were violently opened during the 2011 post-election crisis, freeing thousands of detainees who were then recruited into armed political groups.
This history underscores that MACA is more than a place of confinement; it is a powerful lens revealing the country's social, political, and moral dynamics. The facility powerfully reflects deep-seated issues of corruption, slow justice (as evidenced by the high percentage of pre-trial detainees), and the worth society places on its most vulnerable citizens.
While international bodies and local NGOs, including Catholic Bishops, have called for clemency and urgent reform, the system of "conflicting solidarities" remains the primary mechanism for survival inside MACA's walls.
Sources
◦ U.S. Department of State - 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Côte d’Ivoire
◦ Prison Insider - Cote d’Ivoire: Prisons in 2025 (Statistics and Density)
◦ Amnesty International - Côte d’Ivoire: Hundreds Arrested Still Languishing in Detention
◦ The New Humanitarian - Prisons Ignoring the Rights of Ivorian Youth
