Residents burn Ebola tents after hospital refuses release of victim’s body

By Enitan Abdultawab

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.

According to a BBC report, the unrest occurred at Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, after relatives and supporters of the deceased attempted to retrieve his body for burial but were denied access by health authorities.

Police were said to have fired warning shots as tensions escalated and violence broke out at the facility.

Health officials insist that Ebola victims must undergo controlled burials because their bodies remain highly infectious and can continue spreading the disease after death.

Following the attack, medical personnel at the hospital were placed under military protection while security operatives moved to restore calm in the area.

Jean Claude Mukendi, coordinator of the Ebola security response in Ituri, said many residents were struggling to accept the reality of the outbreak.

The deceased, reportedly a footballer known in the community, was said to have played for several local teams. His mother allegedly rejected claims that he died from Ebola, insisting instead that he died of typhoid fever.

A local politician, Luc Malembe Malembe, blamed the violence on misinformation and lack of awareness about the disease.

“People are not properly informed or sensitised about what is happening. For a certain segment of the population, especially in remote areas, Ebola is an invention by outsiders — it does not exist,” he said.

“They believe NGOs and hospitals created this to make money, and this is tragic.”

He added that two isolation tents, including one containing a body awaiting burial, were destroyed in the fire.

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner described the situation as “very frightening” for affected communities, noting that authorities were intensifying efforts to ensure residents feel “safe, understood and heard”.

The World Health Organization has recommended “safe and dignified burials” for Ebola victims, with specially trained teams handling bodies using protective gear.

On Friday, WHO raised the Ebola outbreak risk in DR Congo to “very high” at the national level.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the country has recorded about 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.

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