Angry protesters attacked and set fire to tents at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province on Thursday, in an attempt to recover the bodies of relatives who died from the disease, according to a local official, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.
The violence occurred at Rwampara Hospital on the outskirts of Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, after families of Ebola victims demanded the return of bodies for burial, disputing reports that their relatives had died from Ebola, said local official Luc Malembe.
Police fired warning shots and tear gas in the northeastern Congolese town of Rwampara after clashes erupted over the burial of an Ebola victim https://t.co/cVGGEEdieq pic.twitter.com/1eHe4GVFti
“Crowds gathered outside the hospital, and when they were denied the bodies of their relatives, they set fire to several tents sheltering Ebola patients, prompting police to fire teargas and warning shots,” Malembe told reporters in Rwampara.
He called for increased community awareness to help educate the public about the disease in a region already facing serious security challenges.
The incident echoes events in 2020, when health facilities were attacked during Ebola outbreaks due to mistrust of medical workers.
The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15 in eastern Congo’s Ituri province. Since then, health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) have reported around 600 suspected cases and 139 probable deaths.
The outbreak has since spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Two imported cases involving Congolese nationals were also reported in neighboring Uganda.
Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), urged the public on Thursday to strictly follow preventive measures.
Speaking in Bunia, he reaffirmed the commitment of African partners to support the response efforts against Ebola, saying, “We have highly motivated teams in place, with expertise, and we will strengthen them to manage this epidemic.”
Last Sunday, the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain a global health emergency following a rise in suspected infections and deaths in eastern Congo.
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