Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) are struggling to contain a worsening Ebola outbreak in the eastern Ituri province, where officials say rising infections and limited resources are pushing the health system toward crisis point.
The military governor of Ituri province, Johnny Luboya Nkashama, has described the outbreak as a “second war,” warning that the region lacks the resources needed to effectively respond to the growing emergency.
Speaking to French broadcaster RFI, Nkashama said communities affected by the outbreak are facing severe humanitarian challenges, including food shortages, overcrowding, and the spread of other diseases.
“People in affected areas are not receiving enough food,” he said, adding that authorities urgently need additional support to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
The outbreak was officially declared on 15 May, with health officials reporting more than 900 suspected Ebola cases and 223 suspected deaths so far.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has since declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, amid concerns that the virus may be spreading faster than initially anticipated.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said response teams are struggling to keep pace with the outbreak despite ongoing efforts to scale up containment measures.
According to him, responders are currently “playing catch-up” as infections continue to rise.
Beyond Ituri province, confirmed Ebola cases have also been recorded in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, while neighbouring Uganda has reported seven confirmed infections linked to the outbreak.
Nkashama said the province urgently requires more qualified medical personnel, secure treatment centres and increased financial support to manage the crisis effectively.
“Our existing resources were dedicated to the war, and this second war that is now upon us demands even more,” he said.
The governor further disclosed that some Ebola treatment centres had come under attack from angry relatives attempting to retrieve the bodies of deceased family members.
Ituri province has remained under military administration since 2021 after the Congolese government replaced civilian authorities with military leadership in response to persistent armed violence in the region.
Several armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has links to the Islamic State group, continue to operate in parts of eastern DR Congo.
“And lastly, we need to mobilise financial resources—they must be made available,” Nkashama added. “The more time we lose, the closer we come to disaster.”
Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says regional coordination efforts are underway to prevent the outbreak from spreading further across borders.
The head of Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya, met health ministers from DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan over the weekend to strengthen joint response measures.
According to Dr Kaseya, the countries have agreed on a $319 million budget to support containment efforts, although only about 10% of the funding has so far been secured from the affected countries.
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