It was a moment of pure terror in the heart of Goma. Armed men stormed the Ebola treatment centre, and six-year-old Bahati Mwinyi was snatched from his hospital bed. For three days, his mother, Fatima, had watched her son battle the virus.
Then, he was gone. But this story does not end in tragedy. Thanks to a network of British-trained Congolese medics, Bahati was found and rescued.
His recovery is a testament to the human spirit and the quiet heroism of local health workers. Yet, it also reveals the deep mistrust and conspiracy theories that plague Ebola responses. Bahati's abduction was not random; it was a symptom of a community torn apart by fear.
His freedom came at a cost: the medics who saved him now live in constant threat. As Bahati smiles again, we must ask: how many more will be taken before we address the root causes of this violence?
