An Ebola treatment centre in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was set on fire on May 21 after local residents attempted to retrieve the body of a man suspected to have died from the virus, according to a witness and a senior police official.
The incident took place in Rwampara, in a region at the centre of an ongoing Ebola outbreak, where fear, misinformation, and frustration over medical procedures have heightened tensions between communities and health workers. A witness told The Associated Press that local youths stormed the facility after being prevented from recovering the body of a friend believed to have died from Ebola. An AP journalist at the scene reported that attackers broke into the centre, set fire to equipment, and burned objects inside the facility. Aid workers were forced to evacuate.
Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of public security in Ituri Province, said the group involved in the attack had not understood protocols surrounding the safe burial of Ebola victims. Health authorities emphasise that bodies of Ebola victims remain highly infectious and require strict handling procedures to prevent further transmission.
Hama Amadou, field coordinator for the humanitarian organisation ALIMA, said calm had since been restored and medical teams had resumed operations at the site.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Congolese authorities reported 671 suspected cases and 160 suspected deaths as of May 21, with additional cases identified in neighbouring Uganda.
Health officials warn that the true scale of the outbreak may be significantly larger, citing limited surveillance capacity and weak health infrastructure in the affected regions. The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri Province, which also hosts more than 920,000 internally displaced people due to ongoing armed conflict.
Experts say insecurity and population displacement are complicating response efforts, while aid organisations report shortages of personnel and medical supplies. The region has also faced recent violence, including an attack attributed to militants linked to the Islamic State group that killed at least 17 people in a nearby village.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no available vaccine or specific treatment, according to health officials. The World Health Organization has said the global risk remains low, though regional spread remains a serious concern.
By Sabina Mammadli
