Congolese Politician Beaten to Death After Promoting Ebola Awareness in Butembo

Congolese politician Marie-Celestin Karondwa was beaten to death on Sunday by residents of Butembo, in DR Congo's North Kivu province.

Karondwa, from the ruling UDPS party, was attacked after promoting Ebola awareness during a radio interview. The UDPS stated Karondwa was killed for defending its position on the existence of the Ebola virus disease and the threat it poses to the population. His belongings were stolen and his house was set on fire. This incident is the latest in a series of attacks motivated by mistrust surrounding the Ebola outbreak.

Health response teams have faced violence and abuse, and hospitals have been set on fire. The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 8,000 since the outbreak was declared in mid-May. Close to 4,000 people have died in the current outbreak. The case fatality rate is more than 48 percent across 63 affected health zones in seven of DRC's 26 provinces.

The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is the country's largest ever. The initial outbreak surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases within 40 days, faster than the 2018 Ebola outbreak in DRC, which took approximately 235 days to reach the same threshold. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that health workers are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care.

Dr. Janet Diaz of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme noted that many people are still dying at home or in their communities due to delays in seeking care. Ebola treatment capacity has expanded from a handful of beds to over 1,600 beds across 50 treatment centers, with plans for further expansion to over 2,000 beds. Canada extended travel and immigration restrictions related to the Ebola outbreak for another 60 days, until November 27.

Foreign nationals from the DRC in the last 21 days cannot board a flight to Canada. Canadian citizens or permanent residents from affected countries must quarantine for 21 days upon return.