100 Inmates A Month Die In Rwanda Prison

Overcrowding in Rwanda’s largest prison has caused diseases that kill 100 inmates a month and prompt fights between prisoners that have injured hundreds, a relief group said Wednesday.

About 1,000 prisoners in Gitarama have died since September, Doctors Without Borders said at news conference here.

The prison in Gitarama, 20 miles southwest of the Rwandan capital of Kigali, was built for 400 inmates but holds 7,000. Nearly all have to stay outdoors day and night.

Some 41 percent of the prisoners have infected feet due to standing on wet and dirty ground.