Armed men kill at least 33 in village in Ebola-hit eastern DRC

What the report says

Armed men attacked villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, killing at least 33 people in the village of Cantine, according to local officials and civil society leaders cited by Al Jazeera. Authorities and residents said the assailants were believed to be fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group that has operated in the border region for years and pledged allegiance to ISIL in 2019. The attacks also left homes and other property burned, with more than 50 houses reportedly destroyed.

The violence took place overnight and affected an area about 50 kilometers west of Beni. Local officials said the attackers set fire to a health post, prompting patients to flee, including people with confirmed and suspected Ebola infections. Hospital staff said dozens of patients and their contacts left the area amid gunfire and burning homes near the medical facility.

The assault comes as North Kivu remains one of the provinces hit hardest by Ebola in the DRC. Al Jazeera reported that the displaced included people under Ebola monitoring, raising concern that disrupted care and lost follow-up could complicate efforts to contain transmission. The province has experienced several previous Ebola outbreaks and continues to face insecurity from multiple armed groups, including the ADF and the Rwanda-backed M23.