Residents in a town at the centre of an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have set fire to a treatment facility after being prevented from taking the body of a local man, underscoring deep mistrust and anger around the response to the virus.
The attack took place on Thursday in Rwampara, in Ituri province, where health workers have been struggling to contain the disease in an area with few medical facilities and where many people are displaced by conflict.
Witnesses said a group of young men stormed the centre after authorities refused to release the body of a friend who was believed to have died from Ebola. The group then set fire to parts of the facility.
“The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful,” Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was nearby at the time, told the Associated Press. “The young people ended up setting fire to the centre.”
An on-the-ground AP reporter saw people break into the building and torch items inside, as well as what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there. Aid workers were seen fleeing the centre in vehicles.
Authorities say the episode reflects the difficult balance between public health measures and local customs, particularly around death and burial.
Because the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly infectious, Congolese officials and international health agencies insist that burials be conducted by specialised teams wearing protective gear. Traditional funeral practices, which often involve washing and touching the body and large gatherings of mourners, are considered high risk for transmission.
“His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home for a funeral even though the instructions from the authorities during this Ebola virus outbreak are clear,” said Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of public security in Ituri province. “All bodies must be buried according to the regulations.”
Such measures, however, are often perceived as harsh and inhumane by families who are denied the chance to perform last rites for their loved ones, fuelling suspicion that health workers are not being transparent about what happens inside treatment centres.
Hama Amadou, field coordinator for the humanitarian organisation ALIMA, which had teams working in Rwampara, said that calm was later restored and that aid workers had resumed operations.
The incident highlights the broader challenges facing Congolese authorities and international agencies as they try to contain a rare and deadly virus in a volatile region.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, warning that violence, population displacement and community mistrust are hampering efforts to stop the spread of the disease.
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