DR CONGO: Aid agencies halt Ebola prevention activities after rebel attack claims 21 lives

A deadly attack by rebels in Beni, a flashpoint city in North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo has forced aid workers to halt Ebola prevention activities in the area.

The deadly attack which occurred in the restive east over the weekend claimed 21 lives with the Congolese army blaming the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a notorious rebel militia for the assault.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said it, and other aid agencies, have been forced to temporarily suspend activities in Beni because of the attack.

“This points to an increasingly worrisome security situation across the country,” the group said in a statement on Monday, adding that it had to halt activities due to intensifying and frequent clashes in Djugu territory in the northern province of Ituri, and Fizi in South Kivu over the last two weeks.

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“These suspensions have disrupted aid to thousands of people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection,” the NRC statement added.

Weeks before, the World Health Organisation (WHO) informed that its efforts at curbing the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is working.

However, WHO said at the time that substantial risks remain in its fight against the dreaded virus noting that militia violence in the DRC is preventing aid workers from accessing potential Ebola victims who may have contracted the virus.

 

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