An angry mob set fire to an emergency Ebola treatment center during a major outbreak response. The incident occurred in a town in eastern Congo when the crowd was prevented from recovering the body of a local man, according to local police.
The Central Africa Ebola outbreak has resulted in 139 deaths and over 600 suspected cases. Experts from the World Health Organization have cautioned that it may take up to nine months to develop a vaccine for the specific strain, Bundibugyo, responsible for the recent surge in infections.
Witnesses reported that local youths, denied access to the body of a friend believed to have died from Ebola, burned the center in Rwampara. Despite police efforts to pacify the situation, the youths proceeded to set the facility ablaze. An Associated Press journalist observed individuals breaking into the center, setting fire to objects, and burning what appeared to be the body of a suspected Ebola victim stored there. Aid workers had to evacuate the premises.
Jean Claude Mukendi, the Deputy Senior Commissioner in Ituri Province, explained that there was confusion among the crowd regarding the burial procedures for suspected Ebola victims. He emphasized the necessity of following regulations for the safe handling of bodies during the outbreak.
Following the disturbance, calm was restored, and aid teams from the humanitarian organization ALIMA resumed their work at the center. This incident underscores the ongoing efforts by Congolese authorities and international aid agencies to contain the outbreak, which has been declared a global health emergency by the WHO.
In response to the situation, the Democratic Republic of Congo national football team has called off its pre-World Cup training camp in Kinshasa due to the outbreak. Scheduled friendly matches against Denmark and Chile on June 3 and June 9 have been affected by the team’s decision.
