A contagious disease has reportedly out broken in Aweil prison, Northern Bahar el Ghazal state, South Sudan. “The disease infects the private parts of the body, and causes itching in the legs and the back,” an infected prisoner explained.

The director of the Aweil prison, Colonel Yorba Isaac, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that an unknown disease has broken out among the detainees in Aweil prison. “The way prisoners have contracted such a disease perplexes me. Currently we are waiting for the final report from the doctors to determine the type of the disease,” he said.

The director attributed the outbreak of the infectious disease to the dire conditions within the prison and congestion in the cells. ”The Aweil prison has not been rehabilitated since South Sudan obtained its independence in 2011,” he added.

The Aweil prison was built to accommodate 150 prisoners but currently allegedly accommodates about 500 inmates. “The surging crime rate is behind the increasing number in the prison. There is a need to build more spacious cells to accommodate larger numbers of inmates in the Aweil prison,” a source explained.

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