United Nations Radio

The UN has sent a team to the Mbuji-Mayi Central prison in the province of Kasai Oriental in the Democratic Republic of Congo where at least 26 prisoners have died of hunger since the beginning of the year.~

Spokeswoman for the UN mission in the DRC Sylvie Van Wildenberg says four prisoners died during the night of July 13 as a result of severe malnutrition.

The UN mission said Tuesday that there is not enough food to go around at the overcrowded facility which is housing more than twice the 200 prisoners it was built to hold.

Chief spokesman for the UN mission Kemal Saiki says one of the causes is the overcrowding versus the limited resources in terms of food.

He says unhygienic conditions are another factor that contributed to the deaths.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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