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Violence erupts at Ebola treatment site in eastern DR Congo
An angry mob set fire to isolation tents at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province after authorities prevented the family of a deceased man from taking his body for burial, local officials reported on Friday.
Chaos and destruction
Protesters hurled stones and projectiles at the hospital, igniting two tents used as isolation wards, according to Luc Malembe Malembe, a local politician who witnessed the unrest. The body of a patient awaiting burial was also burned in the fire.
Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, while military personnel were deployed to protect healthcare workers. A hospital employee told AFP that a medical staff member was injured by thrown stones before authorities intervened.
Community skepticism fuels unrest
The deceased, described by witnesses as a local footballer, was a well-known figure in the community. His mother told Reuters she believed he died of typhoid fever, not Ebola. Jean Claude Mukendi, who coordinates the security response to the outbreak, said the crowd refused to accept the reality of the disease.
"People are not properly informed or sensitized about what is happening. For many, especially in remote areas, Ebola is an invention by outsiders-it does not exist."
Luc Malembe Malembe, local politician
Malembe added that some residents suspect NGOs and hospitals are fabricating the crisis for financial gain.
Authorities respond amid escalating crisis
Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner called the situation "very frightening" but acknowledged that such reactions are expected when communities feel threatened by unfamiliar narratives. She stated that authorities are intensifying efforts to engage with affected populations to ensure they feel heard and protected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends "safe and dignified burials" for Ebola victims, conducted by trained teams in protective gear. Six patients receiving treatment in the burned tents were reportedly accounted for and relocated within the hospital, according to medical charity Alima.
Outbreak spreads beyond epicenter
The WHO has declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" but stopped short of labeling it a pandemic. As of Friday, 177 deaths and 750 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo, primarily in Ituri province.
Neighboring Uganda has confirmed two Ebola cases and one suspected death, prompting authorities to suspend cross-border flights, buses, and ferry traffic on the Semliki River. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine currently exists. The WHO estimates it could take up to nine months to develop one.
On Thursday, the M23 rebel group, which controls parts of eastern DR Congo, reported the first Ebola case in South Kivu province, hundreds of kilometers from the outbreak's epicenter. The 28-year-old victim, who traveled from Kisangani-a city with no recorded cases-died before the diagnosis was confirmed.
Concerns are growing over access to rebel-held areas, though M23 has pledged to collaborate with international partners to contain the virus.
