Seventeen inmates at Kangbayi central prison in Beni (North Kivu) tragically lost their lives between August and September 2023, according to a report published by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO). A raid carried out by the UNJHRO revealed a serious deterioration in detention conditions in this urban prison in Beni over the last three months, highlighting a problem with supplies from the government.
The shortage of resources has led to many cases of malnutrition and other illnesses among the detainees, which ultimately caused the deaths of these seventeen people since August. Most were defendants, awaiting legal proceedings linked to accusations of theft, illegal fishing, criminal conspiracy, rape, murder and participation in an insurrection.
This situation is unfortunately not isolated. Other prisons, such as those in Goma, Masisi and Walikale, in the south of North Kivu province, also face deplorable detention conditions. More than 80 inmates have lost their lives over the past eight months in these three prisons, characterized by promiscuity, food insecurity, chronic illnesses, torture between inmates and dilapidated buildings.
Human rights organizations also highlight the administrative slowness which contributes to keeping pre-trial detainees for long periods in these already overcrowded prisons. They call for the establishment of faster procedures for processing cases as well as an end to arbitrary arrests.
Faced with this alarming situation, pleas are underway to try to save human lives and improve prison conditions. It is essential that the authorities become more involved in solving this problem not only in North Kivu, but also throughout the country.
It is essential to become aware of these realities and to support actions aimed at guaranteeing decent conditions for detained people. As a society, we have a responsibility to ensure that the human rights of all individuals, even those in detention, are respected.