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Ebola Crisis Amplifies Humanitarian Emergency in DRC
(MENAFN) A coalition of Western governments and the European Union urgently appealed Friday for warring factions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to stand down and allow emergency responders to combat a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak threatening to overwhelm an already fractured nation.
The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes (ICG) — comprising representatives from Belgium, Denmark, the EU, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US — warned in a joint communiqué that the Ebola crisis is amplifying an already catastrophic humanitarian emergency.
"The ICG urges all parties to the conflict to facilitate efforts to respond to the Ebola outbreak. This threat underscores the importance of regional cooperation to address common challenges," the statement read.
Since Congo officially declared the outbreak on May 15 in Ituri province, infection rates have surged alarmingly, with cases subsequently confirmed in North Kivu and South Kivu. The World Health Organization (WHO) has tallied roughly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, with at least 82 confirmed infections and seven confirmed fatalities. Two imported cases involving Congolese nationals have also been identified in neighboring Uganda.
Kinshasa warned that M23-controlled territory represents the greatest risk, contending the rebel movement lacks the institutional expertise needed to contain an epidemic. The ICG simultaneously renewed its call for all parties to uphold the ceasefire brokered in October.
"The humanitarian situation must improve. Humanitarian relief personnel must be allowed safe, rapid and unimpeded access. The ICG calls on all parties to facilitate humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law, including by working towards the sustained opening of the Goma and Kavumu airports, the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors in North and South Kivu, and simplified administrative procedures," the statement said.
The M23 insurgency — allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda according to the UN and Western governments — has consolidated control over vast areas of eastern Congo, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, both seized in early 2025.
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