Violence fueling Ebola crisis in eastern DR Congo, WHO chief warns

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday warned that escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is worsening an Ebola outbreak and obstructing humanitarian efforts to contain the disease.

In a statement posted through US social media company X, Tedros said the Ebola outbreak in the Ituri province is “outpacing the response” as fighting and displacement hamper access to affected communities.

“Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict,” he wrote.

Tedros said the outbreak involves the Ebola Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment. He warned that ongoing clashes are forcing exposed people into overcrowded camps while cutting off key containment routes.

“Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” he said, adding that attacks on health facilities have made tracking infections and contacts “nearly impossible.”

The WHO chief said frontline health workers are operating under extreme danger as violence spreads across the region.

“We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,” Tedros wrote.

Prioritise human survival

He urged all parties involved in the conflict to agree to an immediate ceasefire and allow “safe and sustained access” for medical teams responding to the outbreak.

“We plea to prioritise human survival above everything else,” he said.

Violence in eastern Congo involves multiple armed groups, including M23 rebels and the Cooperative for the Development of Congo militias, and has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians amid longstanding ethnic and regional tensions.

Earlier, health authorities warned that the outbreak is continuing to spread in parts of Africa, with neighboring countries also affected.

Ten countries, including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia, face the risk of an Ebola outbreak, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The WHO has also warned that while the risk of global spread remains low, the situation is being closely monitored due to the number of cases, infections among healthcare workers, and outbreaks in urban areas.