Attack on Ebola treatment facility in eastern Congo leaves 13 patients missing

Residents in an eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town at the center of an Ebola outbreak set fire to treatment tents Friday, leaving 13 suspected Ebola patients missing, according to local broadcaster Radio Okapi.

In the second such attack in a week, a group of "angry youth" stormed tents built with the support of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) at the Mongwalu General Referral Hospital, according to the report.

The facility was hosting 28 people suspected of having Ebola, and at least 13 of them fled and remained unaccounted for, Richard Lokudi, medical director of Mongwalu hospital, told Radio Okapi.

He added that police opened an investigation Saturday morning to identify the perpetrators and locate the missing patients, who are believed to be hiding among the population.

The incident was the second attack on Ebola treatment infrastructure in the region within a week, highlighting growing tensions between health workers and local communities amid the outbreak.

On Thursday, a treatment center in the nearby town of Rwampara was set ablaze after relatives were barred from retrieving the body of a man suspected to have died from Ebola.

Humanitarian groups have warned that fear, misinformation and distrust continue to undermine response efforts in eastern DR Congo, where weak infrastructure and insecurity complicate outbreak control.

Bodies of Ebola victims remain highly infectious and can spread the virus during traditional burial practices and funeral gatherings. As a result, authorities often take responsibility for the burials of suspected victims, a practice that can trigger objections or protests from relatives and community members.

As of Sunday, authorities in Congo had recorded 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths linked to the latest outbreak. In neighboring Uganda, officials had confirmed five cases and one death.