About 900 inmates in Congo have escaped in a jail-break from the central prison of Beni in eastern Congo after an attack by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

Mayor Modeste Bakwanamaha said rebels from the ADF and other rebel groups were among those who had been sprung from the jail by attackers using welding equipment.

Out of the 1,000 inmates only 100 inmates remained in the prison following the break-out.

Authorities said that 100 rebel groups are active in Congo’s east, many of them are fighting over the country’s precious natural resources.

Among them is the ADF, originally from Uganda.

The group has been accused of killing thousands of people.