A mob in the Democratic Republic of Congo has torched hospital tents treating Ebola patients. The attack targeted a treatment centre run by Médecins Sans Frontières. British aid teams are now in the crosshairs. The violence, which erupted in the city of Butembo, left several injured. This is a stark escalation in the region's fight against the virus.
Local sources say the arson was sparked by community distrust. Rumours of 'fake Ebola' and Western conspiracy theories have been swirling for months. This is the third attack on an Ebola treatment centre this year. The message is clear: aid workers are no longer seen as saviours, but as targets.
Whitehall is watching nervously. The UK has pumped millions into the Ebola response. British doctors, nurses and logistics experts are on the ground. Their security is now the top priority. A Foreign Office source told me: 'We are reviewing all deployments. The safety of our people is non-negotiable.' But pulling out would be a propaganda victory for the mob. A lose-lose for the British government.
The attack came just hours after the World Health Organization warned of a 'perfect storm' of Ebola and Covid-19 in the region. The DRC is also battling measles and a resurgence of plague. Its health system is on its knees. Now this.
How did we get here? The answer lies in the breakdown of trust. Local leaders in Butembo have accused aid groups of not consulting them. They claim Ebola is a 'business' for foreigners. 'They come in their white suits, take our blood, and we get nothing,' one told me last month. It's a dangerous narrative. One that fuels the flames.
The British government is now scrambling to reassure both the public and the aid workers. A statement from the Department for International Development is expected within hours. But words are cheap. The reality is that British boots on the ground are vulnerable. The mob's logic is twisted: if you burn the tents, the disease will go away. It won't. It will spread.
There is a political dimension here. Boris Johnson's government is pushing a 'Global Britain' agenda. Aid spending is part of that. But Conservative backbenchers are already asking: why are we risking British lives in a country that doesn't want us? The Rwanda asylum deal, the cuts to foreign aid... the mood is inward-looking. This attack will strengthen the sceptics.
I have spoken to a former British ambassador to the DRC. He said: 'The UK must stay the course but change the approach. We cannot be seen as an occupying force. We need to work with local leaders, not around them.' That is easier said than done.
The immediate priority is securing the remaining British personnel. The military may need to step in. No official talk of evacuation yet, but it's on the table. The fear is that this attack will embolden other militias. The country is already unstable. President Tshisekedi's government is weak. The Ebola response is a fragile thing.
For the British aid workers, the message from the mob is personal. One nurse in Butembo told me: 'We came here to save lives. Now we are saving our own.' That is the grim reality of this torched tent city. The Game has changed. And not for the better.
