Congolese politician killed after defending government’s Ebola response

Mourners gathered on Wednesday for the funeral of a Congolese politician who died after being beaten for publicly supporting the government's response to Ebola, an incident that has highlighted the deep mistrust hampering efforts to contain the country's rapidly worsening outbreak.

Marie-Célestin Karondwa, a local official of Congo's ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, was attacked at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in eastern North Kivu province, on Sunday, according to the party.

Karondwa had appeared on a radio programme to defend the government's efforts to contain the disease. His granddaughter, Sagesse Kavira, told The Associated Press during his funeral that the attackers beat him before setting his house on fire. He later died of his injuries at a local hospital.

The attack comes as Congo battles its 17th Ebola outbreak, which has become the deadliest in the country's history. The outbreak has so far recorded more than 8,000 cases, including nearly 4,000 deaths.

Authorities introduced a village-centred strategy this month in an effort to contain the disease. However, health workers continue to face resistance in some communities, where residents have dismissed Ebola as a hoax amid longstanding distrust of the government.

That mistrust stems from several factors, including the way previous Ebola outbreaks were handled and persistent concerns over corruption.

Health responders say doubts about the disease are making it difficult to work with communities, particularly in remote areas and newly emerging hotspots that are already dealing with shortages of medical supplies and healthcare workers.

The situation is even more challenging in rebel-controlled areas of eastern Congo. Decades of armed conflict and human rights abuses have left many residents suspicious of outsiders as well as government authorities.

Jean-Baptiste Katsongo Lwatswa, first federal vice-president of UDPS in Butembo, told the AP that Karondwa had used his radio appearances to encourage residents to follow measures such as social distancing and handwashing.

Lwatswa said those comments were believed to have angered some young people.

Enoch Muhindo Balimatangi, a resident of Butembo, said people in the area remained divided over the existence of Ebola.

“Some say that the illness exists, while others refuse to accept that it does. That's frightening!” he said.

Another major difficulty in tackling the outbreak is the absence of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the current outbreak. Clinical trials for vaccines and treatments are underway in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization said in its latest situation report that the disease remained a serious threat, while authorities continued to face “persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care.”

The WHO has also warned that the outbreak is continuing to outpace efforts to detect and contain it. It is on course to surpass the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which remains the deadliest on record after killing 11,000 people.  (with inputs from Associated Press)