The ICRC says it has stepped up aid to Rilima prison in Bugesera district where deteriorating hygiene has caused the deaths of dozens of inmates over the last few months. In a report, the ICRC said there were some 7,400 prisoners at Rilima but poor detention conditions and lack of food were accentuating the effects of malaria (endemic in the region), typhus (diagnosis still to be confirmed) and diarrhoea. In response, the ICRC initiated measures to increase the amount of water available at the prison by repairing a pump and installing additional storage tanks. It is arranging treatment for the most severely affected inmates. “The ICRC lacks the means to take over from the Rwandan authorities, nor does it wish to do so,” the report stated. It added that the authorities had been briefed on the “seriousness of the situation in this prison”.
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