Share

Attack on DRC Ebola centre leaves one dead

Armed men attacked an Ebola treatment centre in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo again on Saturday, killing a policeman and wounding a health worker, the authorities said.

The facility, located at Butembo in the troubled province of North Kivu, only reopened last Saturday after an attack by gunmen the previous Wednesday forced its closure.

"Shooting started at about six in the morning and resumed 30 minutes later with resistance from the army and the police," Butembo mayor Sylvain Kanyamanda Mbusa told AFP.

The health worker was shot and was being treated in hospital.

"The army and the police caught one of the attackers," he said, hoping it would help understand the motive for the raid which came just a few hours before World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was to visit the centre.

It was the third attack on the centre, said the mayor of the city of a million people.

He branded the attackers "terrorists" who wanted to "kill the sick" and said the captured attacker was a member of the Mai-Mai rebel group.

Efforts to curb the DR Congo's worst Ebola outbreak are stumbling, medical charity MSF warned Thursday, blaming the role of the security forces in the response and their "toxic" relations with local communities

It highlighted that more than 40% of deaths are occurring in communities rather than in Ebola treatment centres.

Repairs were also set to begin on another North Kivu treatment centre, in Katwa, that was set ablaze on the night of February 24.

Both centres had been jointly run by the health ministry and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), but after the first attacks, the aid agency announced it was suspending its activities in both facilities.

The Butembo centre is now run by the health ministry in collaboration with the WHO and the UN children's organisation Unicef.

The deadly viral disease broke out in North Kivu last August and spread to neighbouring Ituri province.

It has claimed 561 lives out of 894 recorded cases, according to the latest ministry figures.

Efforts to contain the epidemic, the 10th in the country's history, have been hampered by poor security in the highly unstable region, where numerous militia groups are active.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 572 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 816 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE