Suspected Boko Haram militants in Cameroon are dying in jail of disease, malnutrition and in some cases torture, Amnesty International says.

More than 1,000 suspects are being held in horrific conditions, with at least eight dying each month, the rights group’s said in a report.

Cameroon has yet to respond to the allegations.

The Islamist group Boko Haram frequently carries out attacks in Cameroon, often using suicide bombers.

Almost 500 have died in the violence this year in Cameroon, which borders Nigeria where the insurgents are based.

Many of the people accused of supporting Boko Haram by the authorities in Cameroon have been arrested without any reasonable suspicion they had committed a crime, Amnesty’s report said.

Extrajudicial killings by the security forces were also documented in the report, including six cases where it says suspects were tortured to death.

Amnesty did acknowledges that Cameroonian officials were working to relieve overcrowding and improve water supplies. (BBC)

•Photo shows a group of captured Boko Haram terrorists.