The United Nations has warned that an uncontrolled Ebola outbreak is worsening in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the Kigonze camp was emptied.. approximately 19,000 displaced residents fled the Ituri province site this week following a government-led military raid targeting paramilitary weapons.
The Bundibugyo strain and a 50 percent fatality rate
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are battling a particularly dangerous version of the virus known as Ebola Bundibugyo.. According to the UN, this specific strain is less common than the Zaire or Sudan variants, which means there are fewer available treatment options for those infected. The severity of the current crisis is reflected in the numbers: over 8,000 cases have been recorded, primarily in the eastern province of Ituri, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that the disease likely began spreading months before the official public health emergency was declared in May. This delay in detection was exacerbated by systemic poverty, a lack of medical facilities, and ongoing political instability in the region. With a fatality rate of roughly 50 percent, officials fear this may become the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the history of the DRC.
How a military sweep displaced 19,000 people from Kigonze
The Kigonze camp, which served as a temporary refuge for thousands of people displaced by conflict and disease, was entirely emptied this week. As reported by Reuters, Congolese government officials authorized a military operation to sweep the camp for weapons caches and supplies intended for local paramilitary groups. The resulting clashes between security forces and camp residents triggered a mass exodus of the estimated 19,000 inhabitants.
The DRC government has defended the raid, asserting that the Kigonze camp had become an unacceptable hotbed for rebel activity. While the government claims it will find new housing for the displaced, local reports from Radio Okapi indicate that the provincial government refuses to reopen the site. Many of the fleeing residents are now relying on host families, while others remain without any durable housing solution.
1.1 million displaced across Ituri province
The crisis at Kigonze is a microcosm of a larger humanitarian disaster in Ituri province, where more than 1.1 million people have been displaced by violence .. of these, over 373,000 are living in formal displacement sites. This instability is fueled by rival paramilitary groups fighting for control of territory and the lucrative illicit mining industry, often enslaving locals in the process.
This environment of violence creates a lethal synergy with the Ebola outbreak . Many residents in the DRC distrust health workers, believing the disease is a fabrication or that medical staff are killing patients. This distrust, combined with traditional burial practices involving direct contact with the deceased, allows the virus to spread rapidly in areas where hygienic facilities are non-existent.
The burned-down transfer center and the missing 1,000 contacts
The capacity to contain the virus has been further crippled by the destruction of critical infrastructure. The UN reported on Thursday that a key Ebola patient transfer center in Ituri burned down this week. Julien Harneis, a senior UN Ebola response official in the DRC, emphasized that losing such a center means losing vital investment and capacity, directly preventing patients from accessing necessary care.
Significant gaps in surveillance now remain. In June, Reuters reported that local officials had identified roughly 1,000 people who had come into contact with known Ebola patients. With the unplanned scattering of the Kigonze population and restricted access to the site, it remains unclear how many of those 1,000 contacts have been tracked or if they are now spreading the virus undetected in other communities.
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