Crowd torches Ebola treatment centre in eastern DR Congo amid outbreak anger

Workers in eastern DR Congo are rebuilding an Ebola treatment centre that was burned by protesters earlier this month.

Six patients who fled during the unrest have been found and are receiving treatment, DR Congo’s government spokesman has said.

Unrest between crowds trying to reclaim the bodies of suspected Ebola cases and authorities have continued.

Angry residents of a town at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo​ attacked and burned a tent that was part of a health center where people are being treated for the virus.

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Residents set fire to an Ebola treatment center at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain. The arson attack in Rwampara reflects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The disease has been spreading for weeks in a region lacking […]...Keep on reading: Angry Congo residents burn Ebola treatment center amid outbreak

The Ebola treatment center at Rwampara Hospital in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was set on fire Thursday during a brawl between local police and a mob of angry youths attempting to claim the body of an Ebola victim. The post Mob Denying Existence of Ebola Sets Congo Treatment Center on Fire appeared first on Breitbart.

Crowd Burns Ebola Treatment Center In Congo Amid Dispute Over Body Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on May 21 after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, witnesses and police said. “The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful,” Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area, told The Associated Press. “The young people ended up setting fire to the center. That’s the situation.” An Associated Press journalist saw people break into the center at Rwampara Hospital and set fire to objects inside, and also to what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there. Aid workers fled the treatment center in vehicles. The crowd set fire to two tents fitted with eight beds run by a medical charity called The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), said Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean-Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province. Mukendi said the youths had not understood the protocols for burying a suspected Ebola victim. “His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home for a funeral even though the instructions from the authorities during this Ebola virus outbreak are clear,” Mukendi said. “All bodies must be buried according to the regulations.” Mother Speaks Out Family members of a man who died, soccer player Eli Munongo Wangu, wanted to bury their loved one themselves. Munongo had played for several local teams and was a well-known figure in his neighborhood. He had been admitted to the hospital days earlier. A doctor said he was a suspected Ebola case, and the hospital had taken samples to run tests. His mother told Reuters she believes her son had died of typhoid fever, not Ebola. Authorities buried Munongo safely on Friday. Calm Restored Army and police reinforcements arrived to bring the situation under control, according to Mukendi. Patrick Muyaya, Congo’s communication minister, said on X that “calm has been restored and care is continuing normally” at the center in Rwampara. Muyaya and ALIMA said that six patients were being treated in the part of the facility set on fire. They have all been located and are being cared for at a hospital. Security measures have been strengthened, Muyaya said. Charred hospital beds stand in a smoldering Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, on May 21, 2026. Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne/AP Photo Condemnation Mukendi told reporters that “this is precisely a misunderstanding due to young people who do not understand the reality of this disease.” ALIMA condemned in a May 21 statement what it called “the endangerment of human lives and the destruction of medical equipment essential for the safe care of patients, in the context of a particularly critical epidemic.” It also warned against “the spread of incorrect or unconfirmed information on social media and the internet, which is likely to fuel fear, misinformation and mistrust towards health facilities and the teams involved in the Ebola response.” Congo Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told a briefing on May 19 that the first known Ebola patient in the current outbreak was placed in a coffin after dying, but that the coffin was damaged. Family members of the patient put the person in a different coffin, “thus spreading the infection,” Kamba said. He said that the virus that causes Ebola is mainly spread through touching and improperly handling dead bodies. “It was from this first case, from this funeral ceremony, that the virus exploded,” he said. “Everyone who was around, of course, was probably infected, and many developed the illness, and everyone thought it was the coffin that was causing it.” Latest Figures As of May 20, there have been 64 confirmed cases, 671 suspected cases, six confirmed deaths, and 160 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak, according to the Congolese government. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, and multiple other countries have barred some or all flights from Congo, including Uganda and the United States. Congo’s government said that the cases and deaths have all been in Ituri province or neighboring North Kivu province. Rebels holding South Kivu province, though, said Thursday that an Ebola case has been confirmed there. Local officials said there were two suspected cases, including one who died. Tyler Durden Fri, 05/22/2026 - 13:05

Residents in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have reportedly set parts of an Ebola isolation facility on fire after a hospital refused to release the body of a man believed to have died from the virus. The post Residents burn Ebola tents after hospital refuses release of victim’s body appeared first on Vanguard News.

People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, officials said.

Protesters set fire to tents for Ebola patients after Congolese authorities refused to give them the dead body of a victim they wanted to bury themselves, a beloved local footballer suspected to have died in the ongoing outbreak. Police fired warning shots and tear gas ​to defuse the incident ‌in Ituri province which highlighted the struggle that authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo could face to enforce the safe ⁠burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak.

People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain.

Tents have been burned to the ground at an Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo as people rioted after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man.

Protesters burned Ebola treatment tents after authorities in Congo refused to release the body of a suspected victim for a traditional burial, a popular local footballer believed t...

An Ebola treatment center in the Democratic Republic of Congo was set alight as a group tried to retrieve the body of a person who died of the virus. The treatment center was not operational but was used to store bodies before a proper burial, an important step in containing Ebola outbreaks.

Angry residents reportedly set fire to an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo during a clash over retrieving the body of a suspected Ebola victim.

Residents in eastern Congo set fire to an Ebola treatment center after authorities stopped them from retrieving the body of a suspected victim for burial, as anger and fear grow over the worsening outbreak. Aid workers fled the scene as flames engulfed the facility.

BUNIA, Congo — People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain. The arson attack in Rwampara reflects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The disease has been spreading for weeks in a region lacking in adequate […]...Keep on reading: Residents burn Ebola treatment center in Congo amid outbreak tensions

People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain.

Protesters set a hospital on fire in the Democratic of Congo, as authorities struggle to contain an Ebola outbreak.

Grieving relatives and friends of a suspected Ebola victim were prevented from taking his body for burial.

Protesters, demanding the return of a body, have torched an ebola virus treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Protesters, demanding the return of a body, have torched an ebola virus treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Protesters, demanding the return of a body, have torched an ebola virus treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Residents in DRC torch facility over burial disputes, spotlighting challenges in tackling Ebola outbreak.

People were angry when they were unable to retrieve the body of an Ebola victim for burial rites.

People set fire to an Ebola treatment centre in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern DR Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain. The arson attack in Rwampara reflects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The...

BUNIA, Congo — People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain. The arson attack in Rwampara reflects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The disease has been spreading for weeks in a region lacking in health facilities and where armed conflict has displaced many people. The dangerous work of burying suspected victims is being managed wherever possible by authorities because the bodies of those who die from Ebola can be highly contagious and lead to further spread when people prepare bodies for burial and gather for funerals. That policy can be extremely unpopular with victims' families and friends, who aren't given the chance to bury their loved ones. Fear and anger grow The center in Rwampara was burned by local youths w

People set fire to an Ebola treatment centre at the heart of the outbreak after being prevented from retrieving the body of a local man, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis.

The centre was burned by local youths who became angry while trying to retrieve the body of a friend

Fears are growing that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is gathering momentum, as a treatment centre is set alight by an angry crowd.