The Congo Ebola center was set on fire after a dispute over the collection of a body
Ebola outbreak tied to more than 130 deaths as US ‘leans in’ on response
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor, reports on public health emergencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. He emphasizes the low risk to the United States but highlights the critical need for international resources and coordination to stop the outbreak at its source.
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An Ebola treatment center where a deadly riot broke out in eastern Congo was set on fire on Thursday after angry residents claimed the body of a suspected victim.
The Rwampara hospital was attacked by local youth trying to remove the body of his friend who was reported to have died of Ebola, a witness told the Associated Press.
“The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they didn’t succeed,” said Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area, telling the media. “The youth ended up burning down the center. That’s the situation.”
AP reported that people broke into the center and burned the things inside. The reporter also witnessed what appears to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim being burned inside the facility.
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A security guard runs in front of an Ebola treatment center in flames in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) said two tents used to treat Ebola were burned at the hospital. The agency said six people were treated for Ebola at the facility.
Patrick Muyaya, a government spokesman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said health care is continuing as normal and all six patients have been accounted for.
He called for calm while condemning the violence against health facilities and health workers.
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Flames and smoke rise from an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
The Deputy High Commissioner, Jean Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri province, said the people who burned the tents did not understand the regulations regarding the burial of Ebola.
The incident underscored growing tensions between health officials who enforce stricter measures to contain Ebola and local customs surrounding funerals and burial practices.
“His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home and bury it even though the instructions of the authorities during the Ebola outbreak were clear,” said Mukendi. “All bodies must be buried according to the rules.”
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Charred hospital beds stand at a smoldering Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after people were burned to death as they were prevented from exhuming bodies, according to witnesses and police. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
In its statement, ALIMA condemned the dissemination of “incorrect or unverified information on social media and the Internet,” warning that false information can fuel fear and mistrust in health facilities.
This outbreak of violence comes as Congolese health officials have reported 160 suspected deaths and 671 suspected Ebola cases in two states in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United Nations said earlier this week neighboring Uganda reported two cases, including one death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency on Sunday, and the US issued an emergency travel warning for the DRC shortly after.
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Congolese police and civilians stand near an Ebola treatment center, as aid agencies step up efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, at the Rwampara hospital in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo on May 21, 2026. (REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week that he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of this epidemic.”
Officials said the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare variant against which existing vaccines may not be effective.
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About $4 million in emergency funding has been approved by the WHO to support national authorities responding to the outbreak.
Anders Hagstrom of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
