Mourners bury DR Congo official killed after defending Ebola response

What the report says

Mourners in Butembo, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, gathered on Wednesday to bury local official Marie-Celestin Karondwa after his death in an attack that his party said followed his public defense of the government’s Ebola response. Al Jazeera, citing the Associated Press and Reuters, reported that Karondwa was beaten at his home on Sunday in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in North Kivu province, and later died of his injuries at a local hospital.

According to the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, which leads the DRC government, Karondwa was targeted because he had defended the party’s position on the Ebola virus and the danger it poses. His granddaughter told reporters at the funeral that attackers beat him and then set the house on fire. The article said it was not immediately clear who carried out the assault, how many people were involved, or what their motive was.

The killing comes amid the country’s 17th and deadliest Ebola outbreak, which the report said has caused more than 8,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths. The World Health Organization says the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, although researchers are testing candidates.

The article adds that distrust of authorities has complicated response efforts in eastern DRC, where health workers have faced attacks and some residents believe Ebola is a hoax or a pretext for corruption. That context helps explain why public advocacy for Ebola control measures can become dangerous in conflict-affected communities.