Congo Ebola center torched after clash over victim’s body retrieval
Ebola outbreak leads to more than 130 deaths as US ‘leans’ on response
Infectious diseases doctor Dr. Amesh Adalja details the public health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. He emphasizes that the risk to the United States is low, but underscores the critical need for international resources and coordination to extinguish the epidemic at its source.
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An Ebola treatment center at the epicenter of the deadly outbreak in eastern Congo was set on fire on Thursday after angry residents clashed with authorities over the body of a suspected victim.
Rwampara Hospital was attacked by local youths who tried to retrieve the body of a friend who reportedly died of Ebola, an eyewitness told The Associated Press.
Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area, told the press: “The police intervened to calm the situation but unfortunately were unsuccessful.” he said. “The youth eventually set the center on fire. That’s the situation.”
The AP reported that people broke into the center and set fire to objects inside. A reporter also witnessed the cremation of the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim at the facility.
REPORTING THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN AFRICAN COUNTRY — HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
A security guard runs outside a flaming Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
The International Alliance for Medical Action (ALIMA) said two tents used to treat Ebola patients at the hospital were set on fire. The organization said that six people were treated for Ebola at the center.
Democratic Republic of Congo government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said medical care was continuing normally and the condition of all six patients had been determined.
He called for calm while condemning the violence against health facilities and medical personnel.
WHO DECLARED THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN CENTRAL AFRICA A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AFTER 80 SUSPECTIVE DEATHS
Flames and smoke rise from an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
Senior Deputy Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province, said the people who burned the tents did not understand the protocols for Ebola burials.
The incident underscored growing tensions between health authorities enforcing strict Ebola prevention measures and local traditions surrounding funeral and burial rites.
“During the Ebola virus epidemic, even though the authorities’ instructions were clear, his family, friends and other young people wanted to take his body home for the funeral,” Mukendi said. “All bodies must be buried according to the rules.”
‘DIEASE X’ KILLED DOZENS IN CONGO – HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HIDDEN DISEASE
Charred hospital beds sit at the burned-down Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after they were set on fire by people angry at being prevented from retrieving bodies, according to an eyewitness and police. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
In a statement, ALIMA condemned the spread of “false or unverified information on social media and the internet” and warned that misinformation could increase fear and distrust of healthcare facilities.
The violent conflict came after Congolese health officials reported 160 suspicious deaths and 671 suspected cases of Ebola in two provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United Nations said earlier this week that neighboring Uganda had reported two cases, including one death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency on Sunday, and the United States issued an emergency travel warning for the Democratic Republic of the Congo shortly after.
AS THE DEADLY EBOLA OUTBREAK SPREADS ABROAD, THE USA IS ISSUING AN URGENT TRAVEL WARNING
Congolese police personnel and civilians stand near the burning Ebola treatment center as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain at the Rwampara general hospital in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo. May 21, 2026. (REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week that he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the outbreak.”
Officials said the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rarer variant that may make existing vaccines less effective.
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Approximately $4 million in emergency funding has been approved by WHO to support national authorities responding to the outbreak.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
