Congo-Kinshasa: Engage Communities in Ebola Response

Effective Health Response Needs Transparency, Limited Role for Security Forces

(Kinshasa) - The Congolese government and international partners should prioritize community engagement and limit the role of security forces in responding to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said today.

"The Congolese government and its partners need to overcome years of conflict, abuse, and neglect that have strained healthcare systems and eroded trust and that risk complicating the Ebola response," said Ida Sawyer, Crisis and Conflict director at Human Rights Watch. "That means taking all necessary steps to minimize the role of security forces and closely engaging with affected communities."

Human Rights Watch in May and June 2026 interviewed nine humanitarian workers and public health experts involved in the current and previous Ebola outbreaks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17 declared the Ebola outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." The Bundibugyo Ebola virus, a strain with no vaccine or approved treatment and a fatality rate of up to 50 percent, had been spreading undetected for months. The Trump administration's dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025, compounded by years of underfunding of the humanitarian response in eastern Congo, may have contributed to the delay in detection of the virus and response systems.

As of June 6, the WHO reported 515 confirmed cases in Congo, including 91 deaths, and 19 confirmed cases and 2 deaths in neighboring Uganda.

Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids, causing fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, hemorrhaging, and death. Women face disproportionate risks of exposure due to their roles as caregivers and health workers. The ritual washing of bodies before burial can contribute to transmission and requires careful, culturally informed, public health outreach about safe practices. Inadequate personal protective equipment has put health workers at risk and can drive transmission.

The 2018-2020 outbreak killed 2,299 people. Hostilities prevented effective disease surveillance, tracing, and treatment, which are crucial for treating this type of outbreak and created what the WHO called a "perfect storm."

The involvement of Congolese security personnel during the 2018-2020 outbreak hindered the health response, politicized care, and deepened mistrust among affected communities, Human Rights Watch said. Armed groups also capitalized on the influx of funding, creating what local com