Congo-Kinshasa: Spike in Attacks On DR Congo Journalists Fueled in Part By Ebola Reporting

What the report says

A Committee to Protect Journalists report, distributed by AllAfrica, says the Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen a recent rise in assaults and threats against journalists, with Ebola-related coverage in the country’s east helping fuel some of the backlash. The article was published Nov. 11 and describes attacks in several provinces, along with earlier incidents tied to reporting on the outbreak.

According to CPJ, Jackson Mbusa Vagheni, editor-in-chief of Radio du Peuple Oïcha in North Kivu, was beaten on Nov. 4 by multiple unidentified people as he left work. He was later treated for injuries and has since gone into hiding amid phone threats. In Tshopo province, CPJ said journalists at Radiotélévision Bafwasende were targeted on Nov. 5, with reporter Finance Sianga Bilanga punched by youths armed with machetes. The station linked that attack to Ebola awareness work and to prior reporting on local health facilities.

The report also cites a July incident in South Kivu, where Kamole FM presenter Guillaume Munguakonkwa was detained for three days after producing an Ebola report. Beyond Ebola-related cases, CPJ noted other recent attacks in Uvira and Ituri, including an armed intrusion at a journalist’s home and an assault at Radio Terra FM. In one separate development, threats were directed at investigative journalists in Kasaï-Central after reporting on illegal gold mining. The broader context, CPJ says, is a climate of fear and misinformation around the Ebola outbreak, which has increased risks for media workers trying to inform the public.