Congolese authorities say suspected Ebola cases in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have risen above 900. The ministry of communication posted on X that there are 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths in the current outbreak, which has been declared a global health emergency and is centred largely in Ituri province. Earlier tallies had reported more than 700 suspected cases and over 170 suspected deaths in the same region.
The World Health Organization has assessed the outbreak as posing a “very high” risk to the DRC, while keeping the assessed risk of global spread low. Nevertheless, response teams on the ground are confronting significant obstacles: armed violence, widespread displacement, community distrust and critical shortages of supplies and staff.
Several Ebola treatment centres in the east were burned in recent arson attacks, with two facilities targeted last week. Observers and aid workers say those incidents reflect deep local anger and scepticism—rooted in years of conflict, perceived neglect by authorities and international actors, and frustration over strict public-health measures. Burial restrictions, in particular, have provoked tensions: authorities have imposed controlled burials to limit transmission, but traditional practices around preparing and holding wakes for the dead are a source of resentment.
Witnesses said the first attack in Rwampara involved young men who sought to recover a friend’s body and accused the foreign aid group operating the centre of lying about Ebola. In response, authorities have banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people in affected areas, and some burials are now overseen or guarded by soldiers and police to prevent unrest.
The outbreak is occurring in a region already battered by violence from dozens of armed groups. The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels control parts of the region, while the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group linked to Islamic State, is active in Ituri and has carried out attacks on civilians. The Congolese government’s authority in parts of the east is uneven. The UN humanitarian office reports that almost 1 million people have been displaced from their homes in Ituri because of conflict, increasing the risk that infection could reach overcrowded displacement camps, including those near Bunia where initial cases were detected.
Humanitarian and health organisations warn that international aid cuts last year by the United States and other donors have weakened the region’s ability to detect and respond to infectious disease threats. Those reductions, they say, left health facilities understaffed and under-resourced just as this outbreak emerged. Doctors Without Borders and other groups have reported that insecurity has already driven health workers away from parts of Ituri, leaving clinics overwhelmed.
Local aid workers and hospitals also report severe shortages of protective equipment, testing kits and burial materials. Julienne Lusenge, who runs a small hospital near Bunia, said teams have had to manage with only hand sanitiser and a few masks for nurses, and that requests for equipment to partners have not yet been met. Aid groups say they lack face shields, protective suits, testing supplies and body bags needed to treat patients safely and to manage potentially infectious bodies.
The virus responsible is identified as the Bundibugyo type of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment. Response teams are working to trace contacts, isolate suspected cases and carry out safe burials while trying to rebuild community trust in an environment of insecurity and resource scarcity.
