Residents Burn Ebola Tents After Hospital Refuses Release of Victim’s Body

Residents in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo reportedly set parts of an Ebola isolation facility ablaze after hospital authorities refused to release the body of a man believed to have died from the virus.

According to reports, the incident occurred at Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia in Ituri province, which has become the epicentre of the latest Ebola outbreak in the country.

Relatives and supporters of the deceased were said to have stormed the facility in an attempt to retrieve the body for burial but were denied access by health officials due to strict Ebola safety protocols.

The situation reportedly escalated into violence, with police firing warning shots to disperse angry residents as unrest spread around the hospital premises.

Health authorities insist that bodies of Ebola victims remain highly infectious even after death and must be handled through controlled burial procedures to prevent further transmission of the disease.

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

The coordinator of the Ebola security response in Ituri, Jean Claude Mukendi, said many residents were still struggling to believe that the outbreak was real.

The deceased, reportedly a well-known footballer in the community, had played for several local teams. His mother reportedly rejected claims that he died from Ebola, insisting instead that he died from 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,” he said.

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

Meanwhile, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner described the situation as frightening for affected communities, adding that authorities were intensifying sensitisation efforts.

The World Health Organization has recommended “safe and dignified burials” for Ebola victims using specially trained personnel equipped with protective gear.

On Friday, the 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 Ebola cases and 177 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.