BUNIA, ITURI PROVINCE — Violence targeting Ebola response teams is severely disrupting critical containment efforts across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as health workers and burial squads face escalating hostility from communities denying the existence of the deadly virus.
Insecurity has become a major hurdle in the fight against the pandemic. Treatment centers and disease response units have faced multiple incidents of attacks in Bunia and Mungwalu within Ituri province, as well as in Butembo and Beni in North Kivu. These disruptions are significantly slowing down broader efforts to contain the outbreak.
The dangers are starkly visible in Rwampara village in Ituri, where mourners recently gathered to bid farewell to a 59-year-old man who succumbed to the virus following unsuccessful treatment at a local center. The undertakers, operating as part of a dignified and safe burial group, are tasked with helping families send off their loved ones securely. However, their vital work has become increasingly perilous.
A spokesperson for the burial team highlighted the dual threats of infection and community violence faced by the crews. “We run the risk of becoming infected at any moment, which is why we use personal protective equipment to ensure we are still protected,” the spokesperson explained.
Beyond the biological hazards, the team faces physical threats from young locals who refuse to accept the reality of the illness. “They don’t want people to say that their relative has died of Ebola,” the spokesperson noted, adding that attackers frequently pelt the crews with stones and assault them with sticks. The mobs operate under the false claim that the health workers are merely out to make a profit and that the virus is a fabrication.
This hostility is deeply rooted in misinformation. Many of the young attackers harbor the belief that the disease is a tool designed specifically to oppress the Congolese people. Compounding the risk, large gatherings for these kinds of funerals have been strictly banned by authorities due to biosecurity protocols during the outbreak, yet many community members continue to attend them.
Despite the constant fear and physical danger, the burial team spokesperson issued a passionate plea to the communities in Bunia and Ituri province, urging them to accept that the virus is a tangible and present threat.
“They must not believe that the doctors are just out to make a profit and that the Ebola virus does not exist,” the spokesperson stated. “How could that be possible when even doctors are dying, healthcare workers are dying, government officials are dying? Whoever it may be, people are dying because of this Ebola virus. How can this be a scam?”
Ultimately, this widespread denial and outright hostility toward healthcare workers are proving to be a massive challenge for pandemic containment teams. As the violence continues, it leaves Ebola patients even more vulnerable and jeopardizes the broader public health mission in the region.