The DRC is facing the Ebola virus for the seventeenth time, which has reappeared in the north of the country.
On May 15, the Democratic Republic of the Congo began counting, again, the deaths caused by Ebola in its territory. It is the seventeenth time it has happened in half a century. On this occasion, the outbreak has especially hit the city of Bunia and the towns of Rwampara and Mongbwalu, in the province of Ituri, in the north of the country. At the time of going to press, the number of victims had already exceeded 200, although health authorities have warned that its expansion could exceed previous episodes because thousands of people who have been in contact with the virus have not yet been located, as explained by the director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya.
The new variant of Ebola, the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is still no vaccine, is similar to the Zaire strain, discovered in 1976 when the country also had that name. The latter, for which there is a vaccine, was responsible for more than 11,000 deaths between 2014 and 2016 in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. The Franco-Congolese virologist Donat Mupapa Kibadi, in statements to the France24 network, considers that the current variant is “less virulent.” For the scientist, “the Ebola Zaire strain caused the death of more than 80% of infected people, while Bundibugyo causes the death of 40%.” The latter, like the previous ones, is transmitted by direct contact with infected people, objects or animals carrying the virus.
Origin and spread
According to the Congolese Ministry of Health, the first case was detected on May 5, after the death in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, of a person infected with an unidentified disease. The family took the body to Mongbwalu for a traditional burial. It was there where the spread of the virus began, which, in a few days, caused dozens of deaths and spread panic among the population. Many inhabitants of this mining area left in search of safer places, which caused the virus to cross the border and reach neighboring Uganda.
Fighting an invisible enemy is not an easy task. In the case of the DRC, access for health teams is being complicated by the lack of infrastructure and families must travel long distances to reach a health center, which delays medical care and favors the spread of the virus. Another challenge is the insecurity caused by the presence of the Ugandan terrorist group ADF-Nalu, active in the region since 1995. Maria Mashako, medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) at the Elykia hospital, in the city of Bunia, acknowledged that “the pressure at work is enormous. “The capacity to receive infected people in our hospital is limited.” According to Mashako, collaboration with community leaders is essential to reduce “gaps in surveillance, diagnosis and contact tracing.” Meanwhile, in Goma, capital of North Kivu, and in Bukavu, capital of South Kivu and under the control of the AFC/M23 rebels since January 2025, the population remains trapped between the virus and weapons.
Consequences
After the WHO classified the situation as a “public health emergency of international concern”, the Congolese Executive adopted various restrictive measures to contain the outbreak. The Ituri region, the epicenter of the epidemic, was placed under quarantine. Wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people were prohibited. Schools and churches were closed. The Bunia airport stopped receiving flights, except for those destined to transport medical supplies. The repercussions also transcended the Congolese borders, as Uganda closed its borders with the DRC and established a mandatory 21-day quarantine for all people coming from the affected areas. Rwanda had done it before. Outside the continent, the US Department of Homeland Security imposed a similar quarantine for those who had stayed or transited through Congolese, Ugandan or South Sudanese territory before arriving in the United States.
The restrictions even affected the sports field. The concentration of the Congolese team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled in Kinshasa, was moved to Belgium. There, the team trained to meet the requirements demanded by the American authorities before traveling to Houston, site of their match against Portugal. The Congolese team had to change a friendly match against Chile that was going to be held in Cádiz. In the end, the meeting was held behind closed doors in the French city of Orleans.
In Kenya, the government’s decision to set up a quarantine center for American citizens from the affected area in the city of Nanyuki sparked protests that left two people dead.
Rumors
The Congolese population is informed of the evolution of the outbreak through traditional media and social networks, which exposes them to rumors that fuel fear and confusion. A part of public opinion considers Ebola a “mysterious” disease and suspects that the pharmaceutical industry is the main beneficiary of the crisis. Faced with this reality, projects such as Balobaki Check have emerged, a Kinshasa-based media dedicated to verifying information circulating on the Internet and, especially, on social networks. Its founder, journalist Ange Adihe Kasongo, in a WhatsApp conversation with a worker from the most affected area, acknowledged the existence of some rumors spread in the region: «In April, rumors circulated according to which there was a coffin that returned to the village, knocked on people’s doors and, when you opened it, you would get a small fever with flu-like symptoms. Then you died,” explains the journalist.
In this context, marked by recurring health emergencies and armed conflicts that have lasted for more than three decades, the Congolese Congress and Senate have approved the law on the referendum, which could pave the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term. The opposition coalition C64 called for a demonstration in front of the Congressional chamber. This protest against the changes in the Magna Carta ended with several injuries, among whom were two of the main figures of the Congolese opposition: Martin Fayulu and Delly Sesanga.
