Ebola Outbreak

Red Cross on the situation in Congo-Kinshasa: “Retreating”

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo-Kinshasa – which has so far claimed more than 300 lives – stems from decades of neglected development in the country, says François Moreillon, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation to Congo-Kinshasa, in an interview with the Independent.

According to the newspaper, humanitarian aid to Congo-Kinshasa decreased by approximately $600 million between 2024 and 2025. A decrease that, according to Moreillon, made an already poor society even less equipped to deal with the Ebola outbreak.

As an example, he mentions that the city of Goma, a city of millions, has a water supply system that has barely been updated since the 1950s. The International Committee of the Red Cross is now working there to repair the water network, which is not usually the kind of task the organization usually engages in.

“This shouldn’t be on our table, but that’s where we end up when many other actors pull out,” Moreillon told the Independent.

The Ebola outbreak — it’s about the matter

• The Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa has led to more than 1,150 confirmed cases and at least 300 deaths since mid-May 2026.
• The outbreak concerns the Bundibugyo variant of the virus, which still lacks a vaccine and treatment.
• Armed conflicts, distrust of authorities and attacks on health workers have made it difficult to trace infections and treat them.
• At the same time, a lack of resources, laboratory materials and funding has delayed testing and limited the ability to effectively combat the epidemic.
• The virus has spread to Uganda and France, and the WHO has declared an international emergency.
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