Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday that Chad’s military caused the deaths of several detainees in transit and within the country’s Koro Toro prison. The detainees were arrested during the October 2022 protests. They were said to have been denied basic supplies, such as food, water and medical care, during transportation from Chad’s capital, D’Jamena, to Koro Toro.

HRW said that interviews and satellite imagery established that prisoners were put through solitary confinement and forced labour. The rights group recorded that four people had died on the way to the prison due to “delirium and hunger,” their bodies were said to have been thrown out of trucks, and six other detainees later died at Koro Toro Prison. However, the number of dead is thought to be higher.

The organization called on Chad’s government to close the older Koro Toro prison building, to repair its second building, to free people detained without charge, and to return the remains of the deceased detainees to their families. HRW further stated that Chad, the African Union and the UN should investigate the unlawful detention and abuse at Koro Toro prison.

Judicial proceedings within the prison are heard by the Tribunal of N’Djamena, who were said to rush the trials. The 2023 Chadian Constitution prohibits arbitrary detention, abuse, torture and promises due process.

After the death of Idriss Déby in 2021, his son Mahamat Déby was appointed as the leader of the Transitional Military Council and was the de facto President of Chad. The 2022 Chadian protests were triggered by Mahamat Déby’s government failing to transition into a civilian government on October 19, and Déby delayed elections until October 2024, remaining in office. Chad was described as a “dictatorship in all but name” and nationwide protests ensued. Chadian security forces retaliated with 621 protesters arrested in 2022.