Paul Nyathi

More than 200 naked prisoners are on the run in Uganda, having overpowered their guard and dumped the distinctive yellow uniforms that were supposed to make them easy to spot.

Forces in the country’s northeast are searching for the inmates who broke into an armory, stripped and fled into a remote wilderness area after escaping jail.

A firefight ensued, in which at least three people – a solider and two of the 219 escapees – died, according to Brig. Flavia Byekwaso, spokeswoman for the military.

The jailbreak occurred on Wednesday afternoon near the army barracks in the district of Moroto.

‘They overpowered the warden who was on duty,’ Byekwaso said.

The inmates are ‘hardcore’ criminals who were jailed for offenses relating to cattle theft in the region, she said.

They took off their clothes to avoid being spotted in their recognisable jumpsuits and ran into the foothills of Mount Moroto, an underpopulated area that the spokeswoman described as ‘a wilderness.’

‘The pursuit is continuing,’ she said, and warned that the escaped inmates might raid local homes for clothes.

Daily Mail/Agencies