Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress party’s federal executive committee in Butembo, was fatally attacked on Sunday after participating in a radio programme where he advocated for disease prevention measures related to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to a statement from the UDPS federation in the city, assailants beat Karondwa, took his possessions, and set his residence on fire. He subsequently died from injuries sustained in the assault.
The specific perpetrators, number of attackers, and underlying motivations remained unclear at the time of reporting. The ruling party characterized Karondwa as an innocent casualty of his efforts to support the party’s stance on acknowledging the Ebola threat to the population. His death represents one incident in a broader pattern of violence affecting healthcare infrastructure and personnel across the affected region.
Karondwa’s killing follows multiple documented attacks on medical workers and treatment facilities, which researchers attribute to widespread misinformation, rumors, and suspicion toward health intervention efforts. Violence, property damage, disruptions to services, and armed confrontations have characterized these incidents. On the preceding day, armed individuals attacked a sanitation checkpoint in the neighboring Beni territory, resulting in at least one fatality and multiple injuries.
The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus variant, has infected 8,067 people and resulted in 3,901 deaths as of reporting, according to data from the DRC’s health ministry. Cases have been documented across seven provinces. The outbreak constitutes the largest and most lethal in the country’s history, second only globally to the 2014-16 west African outbreak. Health authorities have indicated the current epidemic is progressing more rapidly than its predecessor. Analysts point to multiple contributing factors, including armed conflict, reduced funding, and escalating attacks on healthcare infrastructure, as accelerating transmission rates.
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