Congo says at least 129 people died during an attempted jailbreak, most of them in a stampede

Congolese authorities say at least 129 people died during an attempted jailbreak in the country's main prison in the capital early Monday. Most were killed in a stampede, Interior Minister Jacquemin Shabani said on the social platform X. He said some women were raped, and 59 other people were injured in the attack. Gunfire inside the overcrowded Makala Central Prison started around midnight on Sunday into Monday morning. There are videos that appear to be from the prison showing bodies lying on the ground and being carried into a vehicle. Makala, Congo’s largest penitentiary with a capacity for 1,500 people, holds over 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial, Amnesty International said.