Senior DRC Politician Killed After Advocating Ebola Awareness on Radio

A senior member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s ruling party was fatally attacked on Sunday following a radio appearance discussing the Ebola outbreak, according to a party representative.

Marie-Celestin Karondwa, the acting president of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party’s federal executive committee in Butembo, a new Ebola hotspot, was assaulted after participating in a radio program promoting disease prevention measures, the UDPS federation stated, as reported by Reuters.

The party reports that Karondwa was beaten, robbed, and his home was set ablaze, leading to his death. The perpetrators and motives remain unclear, but the party claims he was targeted for advocating the existence of Ebola and its threat to the population.

This incident follows a series of attacks on medical personnel and treatment centers, driven by misinformation and distrust in health responders. Recent violence in Beni territory included an assault on a hand-washing checkpoint, killing one and wounding several others, a local civil society group reported.

Ebola, first identified in 1976 in what is now the DRC, is a highly contagious, often fatal viral disease spreading through body fluids and causing severe symptoms like organ damage and hemorrhage.

The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, lacks approved treatment or vaccines. First reported on May 15, it has infected 8,067 and killed 3,901, according to DRC’s Ministry of Health. Cases span seven provinces, making this the largest outbreak in DRC and second globally to the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic, which affected over 28,600 and killed 11,000. The Africa CDC notes the current outbreak has surpassed West Africa’s in scale. WHO warns it may exceed that total, citing conflict, aid reductions, and attacks on healthcare facilities as exacerbating factors.

Reuters contributed to this report

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