Gunmen Invade Congo Ebola Facility, Patients Flee Amid Chaos

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are battling a worsening Ebola emergency after armed youths stormed a hospital treating infected patients in the country’s troubled northeastern region, forcing medical workers to evacuate patients amid gunfire and chaos.

The latest attack occurred at the Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the country’s current Ebola outbreak linked to the deadly Bundibugyo virus strain, for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists. According to the hospital’s medical director, Richard Lokudu, the attackers invaded the facility on Sunday demanding the release of the bodies of two deceased relatives believed to have died from Ebola-related complications. Amid the confusion and exchange of gunfire, health workers scrambled to evacuate patients from the treatment centre to safer locations.

“Mongbwalu General Hospital is on general alert,” Lokudu said after the incident, although authorities did not immediately confirm whether casualties were recorded during the attack.

The violence marks the third major assault on Ebola-related facilities in Ituri Province within one week, underscoring growing tensions between local communities and health authorities attempting to contain the outbreak.

Last Thursday, part of the Rwampara General Hospital was set ablaze after relatives and supporters of a deceased footballer allegedly attempted to forcibly remove his body from an Ebola treatment ward. Health officials had reportedly resisted the move in line with international containment protocols.

In another incident on Saturday, angry residents reportedly destroyed a temporary Ebola treatment tent established by the humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders in Mongbwalu.

Authorities say fear, misinformation and distrust among sections of the local population continue to complicate public health efforts in the region.

Following Sunday’s attack, Lokudu disclosed that 18 individuals suspected to be carrying the Ebola virus fled the hospital and are currently unaccounted for, raising fears of further community transmission.

The Congolese government announced that 904 suspected Ebola cases have now been identified nationwide, while at least 119 deaths have been recorded so far.

In response to the worsening situation, authorities in Ituri recently imposed restrictions on public wakes and prohibited the transportation of Ebola victims in private or non-medical vehicles.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has repeatedly warned that unsafe burial practices remain one of the leading causes of Ebola transmission, as the bodies of infected victims remain highly contagious after death.

WHO has since elevated the national risk level of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DR Congo to “very high,” while categorising the regional threat across neighbouring countries as “high.”

Health experts fear that continued attacks on treatment facilities and hostility towards medical teams could significantly undermine containment efforts and increase the possibility of wider regional spread.