Residents of Ituri province stormed a hospital Sunday night to retrieve the body of a deceased religious leader, prompting military intervention.
8:43 PM
Residents of Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo invaded a hospital demanding the body of a religious leader who died from Ebola, authorities said Monday.
The incident occurred Sunday night in Mongbwalu, a city of 130,000 inhabitants in northeastern Ituri province, where the current outbreak was first detected on May 15. A group of young residents attacked the hospital on four separate occasions, according to a hospital staff member who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
The residents sought to recover the body of a Catholic priest who had died from the virus. The deceased was described as a well-known religious leader in Mongbwalu.
Soldiers intervened to disperse the crowd by firing warning shots, the hospital staff member said.
Since the outbreak began on May 15 in Mongbwalu, the virus has killed more than 200 people across the country. Ituri province remains the epicenter of the outbreak.
Residents set fire to a treatment facility in Rwampara after being denied a body, as WHO raises national risk assessment to "very high."
The WHO declared an Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, with 80 deaths reported.
The World Health Organization upgraded the Ebola outbreak risk in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high" on Friday, citing nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
UN humanitarian vehicles attacked in Kherson; four civilians injured in separate drone strike Thursday morning.
The administration is negotiating to relocate Afghan interpreters and military families, including over 400 children, from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Supporters of ex-president Evo Morales and labor unions march on La Paz, blocking roads across the country and clashing with police.
