The number of inmates on hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility has risen sharply to 42 -- eight more than last week, officials said Monday at the US-run "war-on-terror" prison.
"We have 42 hunger strikers," said Captain Pauline Storum, spokesperson for the facility, who said the figure includes 31 detainees being force-fed.
There are roughly 250 inmates detained at Guantanamo.
Last Friday there were just 34 inmates who refused food, of whom 25 were forcibly fed.
Officials at Guantanamo said a detainee is classified as being on hunger strike after going for three consecutive days without eating.
US military authorities said forced feedings begin after a detainee either has gone three weeks without a meal, has fallen below 85 percent of his ideal body weight, or if a doctor has recommended it as a medical necessity to preserve an inmate's life.
Officials gave varying possible reasons for the spike in the number of inmates refusing to eat, including the impending inauguration of US president-elect Barack Obama and the upcoming anniversary of the arrival of inmates at the facility.
Detainees were first brought to Guantanamo on January 11, 2002.
"As we approach the seventh anniversary of the arrival of detainees here and the inauguration, we are not surprised to see the numbers increase," said Storum.
"Hunger-striking is an acknowledged form of protest," she said.
The spokeswoman also defended as "humane" the practice of inserting feeding tubes into the noses of detainees to ensure that they don't starve themselves to death.
"The feeding process is administered by registered nurses and is conducted in a humane manner focused on the care of the detainee, as well as protection of medical personnel and the guard force," she said.
"Practitioners use industry standard equipment and procedures -- the same that may be found in any civilian healthcare facility," she said.
The spokeswoman added: "The preservation of life through lawful, clinically appropriate means is a responsible and prudent measure for the safety and well-being of detainees."
Obama, who takes office on January 20, said Sunday the prison at the US naval base would be closed and its 250 remaining internees dealt with constitutionally.
Of the remaining Guantanamo inmates, only some 20 have been charged, including five men accused of helping organize the September 11 attacks of 2001.
The Pentagon has said it has plans to prosecute some 60 to 80 for "war crimes" under special military tribunals that civil liberties groups say are travesties of justice.
The human rights group Amnesty International last week called on Obama to announce a date for the closure of "Gitmo."
But Vice President Dick Cheney in a CNN interview last week said harsh interrogations employed there had saved US lives
