Congo-Kinshasa: 'Time Is Not On Our Side,' UN Relief Chief Warns As Ebola Spreads in DR Congo

What the report says

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher told member states in a virtual briefing on 1 September 2026 that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is moving faster than the response and requires urgent scaling up. Speaking for the UN humanitarian office, he said the outbreak has spread across six provinces and is unfolding in areas where insecurity, weak health systems and limited access are making case detection, contact tracing and treatment more difficult.

Fletcher said the situation is not only a public health emergency but also a wider humanitarian crisis, affecting a country already facing major needs linked to conflict, food insecurity and malnutrition. He said women, girls and pregnant women are especially at risk, and warned that children who lose caregivers may become more vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. The UN said it has worked with the Congolese government, WHO, Africa CDC and other partners since activating its response on 9 June.

According to the briefing, operational hubs in Bunia and Beni are functioning, and funding has been mobilized, but the response still needs more resources and access. Fletcher called for expanded treatment capacity, burial teams, safer movement for aid workers and supplies, and support for health, water, sanitation, food, protection and livelihoods services. He said more than 40 health workers have died in the outbreak and that treatment centers and ambulances have been attacked.

He also pointed to a revised 2026 humanitarian plan for the DRC that seeks $2.1 billion, including $300 million for Ebola-related work, with over $1 billion already secured. He urged governments to keep Ebola high on the agenda, maintain open borders for aid, and provide flexible funding, saying the world has the tools to stop the epidemic but needs faster political and financial action.