Kamerun
- Staaten mit geringster Homizidratte 1-10: Island, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kamerun, Finnland, Gambia, Mali, Saudi-Arabien, Mauretanien, Oman; 2008-2009]
- Staaten mit geringster Rechtsstaatlichkeit: 1-10: Venezuela, Bolivia, Honduras, Liberia, Afghanistan, Mexiko, Panama, Guatemala, Kamerun, Kambodscha
The food here is disgusting. The only thing we eat is corn and beans or rice with a bit of sauce. It’s been like that every day of the year since I first came here. In the morning, a 10-litre bucket of food is delivered to each cell, which contains between 60 to 70 people. That translates to less than half a bowl per person.
There are only three toilets and one shower for the 1,300 detainees in Unit 8. The hygiene is worsened by the fact that, very often, we don’t have running water. Moreover, many of the inmates behave unhygienically and just do what they need to do anywhere they want.
"You have to pay to be allowed outside"
Some of the inmates build small campfires in the cells. Many others smoke cigarettes or marijuana. The air can get so smoky that it is hard to breathe; sometimes, I feel like I am suffocating. Every once in a while, I pay 100 francs [around 15 euro cents] to go into the main courtyard. Because you have to pay to be allowed outside!
Sometimes, my family sends me a bit of money. But I’ve been here for so long that most of my friends and family are no longer available to help me.
When you don’t have money here, all the doors seem to shut in your face. It becomes a struggle just to survive. The inmates without money can’t buy things on the black market and they have to make do with half a bowl of corn to get through the day.
- Incarceration rate: 114/100 000; place 83 in the list from lowest to hightes rate of incarceration (with Canada).