The World Health Organisation has issued a stark warning that the Democratic Republic of Congo is on the brink of a ‘catastrophic collision’ between a resurgent Ebola outbreak and escalating armed conflict. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, described the situation as a ‘perfect storm’ where health workers are being attacked, treatment centres are overwhelmed, and the population is trapped between the virus and the violence.
The current outbreak, which began in August 2018, has already claimed over 2,000 lives in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. Despite the availability of an effective vaccine and experimental treatments, the response has been severely hampered by the presence of dozens of armed groups, community mistrust, and the recent influx of refugees from neighbouring conflicts. ‘We are dealing with a double tragedy,’ said Dr Ghebreyesus. ‘People are dying from a preventable disease because we cannot reach them, and those who survive face the daily terror of rape, murder, and displacement.’
Last week, two health workers were killed in an attack on a treatment centre in Beni, forcing the suspension of operations. The WHO has recorded over 300 attacks on health facilities and personnel since the outbreak began, a figure that Dr Ghebreyesus described as ‘unconscionable’. The violence has also hindered contact tracing and vaccination campaigns, which require meticulous follow-up in secure areas.
Meanwhile, the security situation continues to deteriorate. The Congolese army has been battling the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist militant group, in the dense forests near the Uganda border. The fighting has displaced over 1.5 million people, many of whom are now living in cramped, unsanitary camps that are breeding grounds for the virus. ‘Every day we are seeing new cases in areas we cannot access,’ said Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director. ‘We are running out of time to contain this before it becomes a regional catastrophe.’
The WHO has appealed for $70 million to fund the next phase of the response, but donor fatigue is setting in. The international community, already stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been slow to respond. ‘This is not just a Congolese problem; it is a global health security threat,’ warned Dr Ghebreyesus. ‘Ebola does not respect borders, and the world cannot afford to look away.’
Local health workers, many of whom are unpaid and working without adequate protection, are on the front line of this battle. ‘We are tired, we are scared, but we cannot stop,’ said Dr Musafiri, a doctor at the Beni general hospital. ‘If we abandon these people, who will save them?’ But even as they struggle to save lives, they fear the worst is yet to come. With the rainy season approaching and the conflict intensifying, the window to contain the outbreak is closing fast. The question now is whether the world will step up before it is too late.
