Riot hits DR Congo hospital as Ebola response angers victims’ families

Rioters have set fire to hospital tents used to isolate Ebola patients in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as fear, anger and mistrust continue to fuel tensions surrounding the country’s latest Ebola outbreak. 

.....

The violence erupted at Rwampara hospital in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, where isolation tents were torched during unrest on Thursday before soldiers intervened to restore order.

Only the burnt remains of the structures were left standing after the attack. According to hospital officials, the unrest began after the death of a 24-year-old man believed to be the son of a soldier.

“It all kicked off when a 24-year-old man, the son of a soldier, died at the hospital,” one official said. “The family wanted us to hand over his body so that they can bury him, but given the circumstances, that’s impossible.”

Authorities have enforced strict burial procedures because Ebola spreads through bodily fluids and prolonged physical contact. The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. The World Health Organization believes the outbreak may already have killed more than 177 people.

Health officials are relying heavily on rapid contact tracing, isolation measures and protective precautions to contain the spread. However, traditional burial practices in rural communities have complicated containment efforts.

Jean Marie Ezadri warned that many grieving families continue to physically handle the bodies of deceased relatives despite the risks. “Loved ones are throwing themselves at the bodies, touching the corpses and the clothes of the deceased, while organising mourning rituals bringing together loads of people,” Ezadri said. “Unfortunately, this is going on even during this epidemic, which explains the many instances of contamination.”

Following the riot, families gathered anxiously outside the hospital awaiting the burials of three people suspected to have died from Ebola. Some residents openly questioned whether the disease even existed. “My brother is not dead from Ebola, it’s an imaginary disease,” said 22-year-old Jeremie Arwampara.

Another mourner, Ezekiel Shambuyi, shouted: “Why are they refusing to give us the bodies? He’s my big brother, I cannot be afraid of him.” The crowd eventually dispersed after soldiers guarding the hospital fired warning shots into the air.

A nurse was reportedly injured after being struck by stones thrown during the unrest. Inside the hospital compound, healthcare workers wearing full protective suits prepared the bodies for burial before carrying three black-and-white coffins on a small cart.

One of the coffins contained the father of local resident Musa Amuri, who said he was devastated by the rushed funeral process. “They’re going to bury our father without us seeing him, it breaks my heart,” he said. The funeral convoy later travelled to Rwampara cemetery under military escort.

Security forces in the DRC have previously faced accusations during past Ebola outbreaks of worsening distrust between communities and medical teams. Hospital sources said some of the rioters involved in Thursday’s unrest were themselves soldiers connected to one of the victims.

As evening fell over the hills surrounding Rwampara, healthcare workers dressed in hazmat suits lowered the coffins into graves after disinfecting them. Mourners watching the burial broke into tears while a pastor recited Bible verses and others sang funeral hymns.

Among them was Maman Leonie, who rejected claims that her brother had died from Ebola. “He was just sick, let the government come to our aid!” she pleaded. Residents in Ituri have increasingly criticised the government’s response to the outbreak, pointing to decades of weak state presence and ongoing violence by armed groups in the region.

Officials in the nearby town of Mongbwalu said awareness about avoiding contact with bodies had improved in recent days but warned that medical facilities remained dangerously under-equipped. “Suspected cases are mixed in with other patients in the hospital wards, with a high risk of infection,” one hospital official said.