Residents Burn Ebola Treatment Facility in Rwampara, Ituri, After Authorities Refuse Body Release

Residents in Rwampara, in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, set fire to an Ebola treatment facility on Thursday after authorities refused to release the body of a local man believed to have died from Ebola.

“In Pictures Residents in a town at the centre of an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have set fire to a treatment facility after being prevented from taking the body of a local man, underscoring deep mistrust and anger around the response to the virus”

Al Jazeera

Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was nearby, told the Associated Press, "The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful," and said the young people then set fire to the centre.

Al Jazeera

An on-the-ground AP reporter saw people break into the building and torch items inside, as well as what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, warning that violence, population displacement and community mistrust are hampering efforts to stop the spread of the disease.

The incident underscored the conflict between public health measures and local customs around death and burial, with Congolese officials and international health agencies insisting that burials be conducted by specialised teams wearing protective gear.

Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of public security in Ituri province, said, "All bodies must be buried according to the regulations," after describing how the victim’s family and friends wanted to take the body home for a funeral.

Associated Press

Hama Amadou, field coordinator for the humanitarian organisation ALIMA, said calm was later restored and that aid workers had resumed operations at the Rwampara centre.

CNN reported that protesters caused a blaze at a health facility treating Ebola patients in the eastern DRC, with Luc Mambele, vice president of Congolese political party A2RC, saying relatives tried to take the body "by force" from the Rwampara Hospital.

The treatment-centre attack came as the outbreak’s scale and spread were contested, with CNN saying the DRC said Thursday there were 13 new confirmed cases and a further 78 suspected cases in Ituri province.

“Protesters caused a blaze at a health facility treating Ebola patients in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday, burning down two hospital tents, a local politician told CNN”

CNN

CNN also reported that tests show the Bundibugyo strain was behind the outbreak, and said the Bundibugyo strain has "no specific treatment or vaccine," while the DRC said at least 160 deaths are thought to be linked to the disease.

For the wider response, the World Health Organization has officially declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern," and CNN said health officials are tracking more than 1,260 contacts in the country.

The France 24 Observers described another episode of distrust in the DRC, reporting that on February 27 an Ebola treatment center in Butembo was attacked by an armed group and that the attackers destroyed and set on fire facilities and medical equipment.