Seven people died and 30 were injured during a stampede outside a Brazzaville stadium where a pan-African musical festival opened, the Congolese culture minister announced Sunday. Jean Claude Gakosso said seven Congolese died as security forces failed to control a stampede outside the Felix Eboue stadium, the venue for the 8th Pan-African Music Festival (Fespam).
Authorities cancelled the festival as a result. The Fespam was created in 1996 and is held every two years under the aegis of the African Union and in partnership with the International Centre of Bantu Civilisations, the International Music Council and UNESCO.