Tensions regarding the management of Ebola victims have triggered violent outbreaks in the Ituri province of eastern DR Congo.
In the town of Rwampara, local reports indicate that demonstrators set a hospital on fire after being barred from retrieving the bodies of family members who succumbed to the virus. Protesters had intended to perform traditional burials for their deceased relatives. Visual evidence provided by a medical professional shows security personnel moving in to reclaim the facility.
This unrest coincides with news from an M23 militia spokesperson on Thursday, confirming the first Ebola case in South Kivu—a region currently under the group’s authority.
Ongoing hostilities between the M23 and the Congolese military continue to obstruct containment efforts for this latest outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized the spread of the lethal haemorrhagic fever as an international emergency.
