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AFP
The 44 men were seized in Lake Chad
A group of 44 prisoners died in one night in a prison in Chad because they were all kept in 46C heat in the same cell, an investigation has concluded.
Prosecutors had suggested the group was suspected of Boko Haram militants and had taken poison to kill themselves.
But the National Human Rights Commission said they were civilians.
Their report described a dangerously overcrowded cell, burning heat, thirst and hunger.
Chad’s justice minister Djimet Arabi told AFP that he had taken note of the commission’s report and that an investigation had been launched to determine who was responsible for the deaths.
The 44 prisoners were found dead in the morning on April 15 in their cell on the outskirts of the capital N’Djamena.
Prosecutors said at the time that the men were part of a group of 58 suspects taken prisoner during a major army operation against the Islamist militants Boko Haram around Lake Chad.
The Public Ministry said 40 of the prisoners were buried and four were taken to a pathologist who found traces of poison.
Mr. Arabi had also suggested that it could be a case of collective suicide and denied that they had been abused.
‘Prisoners’ plead for help ignored’
The report of the Independent Commission tells a very different story.
In fact, they denied that they were militants, instead saying they were farmers and villagers who were randomly arrested.
It also points out that the military operation against Boko Haram – which took place between March 23 and April 8 – was already over when the suspects were picked up.
It then described the overcrowded, burning conditions in the cell, where survivors said the only food they were given was a few dates, not enough to keep the group going.
The 14 survivors told the commission that in the heat some began to fall to the ground while others called the guards for help but were ignored.
“The prison was not afraid to provide assistance to anyone who is in danger in these circumstances, despite forces of need and prayers being recorded all night,” the report said, according to AFP.
The military offensive against Boko Haram militants was launched after 98 Chad soldiers were killed on March 23 at their base on the shores of Lake Chad.
The army said it had killed more than 1,000 militants in its eight-day operation to spray militants from hiding on the islands in the lake.
On Saturday, Chadian President Idriss Deby confirmed that there are currently no Boko Haram fighters left in Chad.
But he went on to say that he expects a long battle against the jihadists because of expected border crossings from Nigeria and Niger.
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