KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — On Sunday evening, a group of young men in eastern Congo forcibly entered a hospital dedicated to treating Ebola patients, located at the heart of the region’s recent disease outbreak. This incident necessitated a swift evacuation of medical staff and patients as gunfire was reported in the vicinity.
While the full extent of injuries from the assault on Mongbwalu General Hospital remains unclear, Dr. Richard Lokudu, the hospital’s medical director, informed The Associated Press that the assailants’ primary demand was the release of two deceased relatives’ bodies.
Dr. Lokudu, speaking by phone, described a chaotic scene with gunfire and medical personnel working to secure patients and staff. He declared the Mongbwalu General Hospital on high alert, though he could not provide additional immediate details on the unfolding situation.
This assault marks the third such attack in a week on healthcare facilities struggling with inadequate resources to manage suspected Ebola cases. Such incidents underscore the severe challenges faced during the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has deemed a public health emergency of international concern.
Bodies of individuals who succumb to Ebola are highly contagious and can significantly contribute to the virus’s spread when prepared for burial or during funeral gatherings. Congolese authorities have consequently mandated that the hazardous task of burying suspected victims be handled by official personnel whenever feasible, a policy that often sparks resistance from grieving families and friends. As a measure to control the virus’s proliferation, the government announced on Friday a ban on funeral wakes and gatherings exceeding 50 people in northeastern Congo.
Prior to this, on Saturday, residents of Mongbwalu, a town in Ituri province, attacked and torched a Doctors Without Borders tent established for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases. Dr. Lokudu had previously stated that 18 individuals with suspected Ebola infections fled the facility during that incident and their whereabouts are now unknown.
Additionally, on Thursday, another treatment center in Rwampara was burned down after family members were prevented from retrieving the body of a local man believed to have died from Ebola.
The WHO has escalated its risk assessment for Congo, elevating it to “very high” from a prior “high” rating, although the global risk of the disease spreading remains low.
Earlier on Sunday, the Congolese Ministry of Communication reported via X that there were 904 suspected Ebola cases, predominantly in northeastern Ituri Province. This represents a considerable increase from the previously cited figure of over 700 suspected cases. The ministry also noted 119 total suspected Ebola deaths, although individual regional figures added up to 220. Officials were not immediately available to clarify this discrepancy.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo virus, a rare form of Ebola for which no vaccine currently exists. This variant circulated undetected for weeks in Ituri following the first reported death in late April in Bunia, the provincial capital, as authorities initially tested for a more common Ebola strain, which yielded negative results.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported on Saturday the deaths of three of its volunteers in Mongbwalu due to the outbreak. The agency suspects these healthcare workers contracted the virus on March 27 while handling bodies during a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola. If confirmed, this would significantly revise the estimated timeline of the outbreak’s commencement.
