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By Lawrence Agbo
Violence broke out in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after angry residents and relatives of an Ebola victim clashed with health officials over the handling of bodies linked to the deadly outbreak.
The unrest occurred at Rwampara hospital in Ituri province, the centre of the country’s latest Ebola epidemic, after medical authorities refused to release the body of a 24-year-old man believed to have died from the virus.
According to hospital officials, the deceased was the son of a soldier, and tensions escalated when family members insisted on taking the body home for burial despite strict Ebola safety protocols.
“The family wanted us to hand over his body so that they can bury him, but given the circumstances, that’s impossible,” a hospital official said.
The confrontation quickly turned violent, with rioters setting fire to tents used to isolate Ebola patients before soldiers intervened to restore order.
Only the burnt remains of the temporary treatment tents were left standing after the attack.
Authorities said the military had already been deployed to secure burials in affected communities amid growing mistrust, fear, and confusion surrounding the outbreak.
Health experts have warned that Ebola spreads through prolonged physical contact and exposure to bodily fluids, making traditional burial practices particularly dangerous during outbreaks.
The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has no approved vaccine or treatment, forcing health officials to rely heavily on isolation measures, rapid tracing of contacts, and controlled burials.
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However, resistance from local communities has complicated containment efforts.
In several rural areas of Ituri province, residents reportedly continue to touch bodies during funeral rites and hold crowded mourning gatherings despite warnings from medical teams.
Some relatives of victims also questioned whether Ebola exists at all.
“My brother is not dead from Ebola, it’s an imaginary disease,” one resident, Jeremie Arwampara, said after the incident.
The situation forced armed security personnel guarding the hospital to fire warning shots into the air as crowds became increasingly hostile. A nurse was reportedly injured after being hit with stones thrown by protesters.
Despite the tension, health workers wearing full protective gear proceeded with emergency burials for suspected Ebola victims under heavy military escort.
Loved ones watched emotionally as the victims were buried quickly in disinfected coffins at a cemetery outside the town.
Residents in the region have also criticised what they describe as a slow government response to the outbreak, especially in remote communities where medical infrastructure remains weak.
Hospital workers in Mongbwalu reportedly expressed concern that proper isolation and triage facilities had still not been fully established, increasing fears that suspected Ebola patients were being mixed with other hospital patients, thereby heightening the risk of further infections.
