Red Cross Condemns Attacks on Ebola Response Volunteers in DRC

What the report says

The Red Cross has condemned a series of attacks on Ebola response volunteers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the violence is disrupting efforts to contain the outbreak and putting aid workers in danger. The warning came from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, alongside the Red Cross societies of the DRC and Uganda, the IFRC and the ICRC, about 100 days after the DRC officially declared the outbreak.

According to the report, 12 Red Cross volunteers have been injured in 11 separate incidents. Ambulances and other emergency equipment were also damaged or destroyed, including one ambulance that was set on fire. The attacks reported in recent days included an ambush on a Uganda Red Cross cross-border support convoy in Aru in Ituri Province on August 17, an assault on a burial team in Malikuti in Haut-Uélé Province on August 18, and an attack on volunteers in Beni in North Kivu Province on August 19.

The organisations said the violence is making it harder for responders to reach patients, carry out safe burials and deliver other critical services. The report notes that tensions have grown around “safe and dignified burials,” which are designed to reduce transmission because Ebola can remain highly infectious after death, but can conflict with some traditional funeral customs.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, described in the article as a rare variant with no licensed vaccine or treatment specifically available. Health officials have registered more than 2,000 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to the report. The Red Cross called on communities, local leaders and other stakeholders to protect humanitarian workers so response operations can continue.