Residents in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo torched sections of an Ebola treatment unit after hospital staff refused to hand over the body of a man suspected to have died from the virus, according to local reports.The incident unfolded at Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia in Ituri province, the current hotspot of the outbreak.
Relatives of the deceased, backed by community members, clashed with health workers when they were blocked from removing the body for traditional burial. Police responded by firing shots into the air as the situation spiraled into violence.Health authorities maintain that Ebola victims require secure burials because corpses can still transmit the disease.
Following the assault, medical staff were placed under military guard while security forces worked to restore order. Jean Claude Mukendi, who coordinates Ebola response operations in Ituri, said skepticism remains widespread.
The dead man was reportedly a well-known local footballer who played for several teams in the area. His mother dismissed Ebola as the cause, claiming he succumbed to typhoid instead.Local official Luc Malembe Malembe linked the unrest to false information and poor public awareness. “Many people, especially in rural areas, don’t believe Ebola is real,” he said. “They think NGOs and hospitals invented it to profit. It’s tragic.”
He noted that two isolation tents were destroyed, one holding a body pending burial.Community concerns were echoed by Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, who called the mood “very frightening.” She said officials are stepping up outreach to make residents “feel safe, understood, and heard.”
The World Health Organization advises “safe and dignified burials” for Ebola fatalities, carried out by trained teams in protective equipment. On Friday, WHO elevated the national risk level in DR Congo to “very high,” reporting roughly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths tied to the outbreak.
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