Over 100 inmates died in DRC prisons since the start of the year – UN

More than 100 inmates have died so far this year in Democratic Republic of Congo’s underfunded and chronically overcrowded prisons, Reuters reported, citing a U.N. human rights official.

The main cause of the deaths was contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, which spread easily in crowded facilities and require unavailable medical attention.

“Insufficient food also contributed,” the official said.

“The U.N.’s Joint Humans Rights Office has so far confirmed 104 deaths in detention since the start of 2024,” its director Patrice Vahard said.