Published On 21 May 202621 May 2026Residents 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.The attack took place on Thursday in Rwampara, in Ituri province, where health workers have been struggling to contain the disease in an area with few medical facilities and where many people are displaced by conflict.Witnesses said a group of young men stormed the centre after authorities refused to release the body of a friend who was believed to have died from Ebola. The group then set fire to parts of the facility.“The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful,” Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was nearby at the time, told the Associated Press. “The young people ended up setting fire to the centre.”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. Aid workers were seen fleeing the centre in vehicles.Authorities say the episode reflects the difficult balance between public health measures and local customs, particularly around death and burial.Because the bo …
