By Elsie Kamsiyochi
A sharp rise in deaths at a crowded displacement camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has raised urgent concerns that Ebola may be spreading more rapidly than previously thought, threatening thousands of vulnerable people living in conditions that health experts describe as ideal for the transmission of infectious diseases.
According to camp officials, aid workers, and local community leaders, at least 30 people have died since early May at the Kigonze camp near the city of Bunia, the epicenter of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak. The number of deaths is far above normal levels and has alarmed humanitarian organizations already struggling to contain the disease amid funding shortages and widespread distrust of health authorities.
While health officials have not yet confirmed Ebola as the cause of all the deaths, many of the victims reportedly experienced symptoms commonly associated with the virus, including high fever, severe headaches, vomiting, and extreme weakness. For weeks, relatives of the sick and deceased resisted requests from medical teams to test patients or examine bodies, making it difficult to determine the true extent of the outbreak.
The Kigonze camp is home to more than 15,000 displaced people who have fled years of violence and instability in eastern Congo. Residents live in tightly packed shelters with limited access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and healthcare services. Camp leaders say the current situation is unlike anything they have experienced before.
“People didn’t just die like this before,” one camp spokesperson said, noting that the camp normally records only one to three deaths in a typical month. In contrast, ten people were reportedly buried in the camp during a single week.
Humanitarian workers described scenes of growing tragedy. Aid teams witnessed multiple bodies wrapped in sheets awaiting burial, including those of children and a pregnant woman. Video footage verified by journalists showed health workers dressed in protective hazmat suits disinfecting bodies and preparing small coffins while grieving families gathered nearby.
The outbreak was officially declared by Congolese authorities on May 15, although local officials believe infections may have been circulating before that date. Samples have now been collected from several victims, and health authorities are awaiting laboratory results that could provide a clearer picture of what is happening inside the camp.
The situation has fueled fears that Ebola may be spreading undetected among eastern Congo’s vast displaced population, which exceeds five million people. Health experts warn that the combination of overcrowding, poor sanitation, and resistance to testing creates significant obstacles to containing the virus.
Conditions inside Kigonze are particularly concerning. Families often share small plastic shelters located less than a meter apart, while children move through muddy pathways barefoot. Residents say the camp’s sanitation infrastructure is overwhelmed. Toilets frequently overflow, and some families are forced to empty waste pits themselves without protective equipment.
Aid organizations argue that these conditions have been worsened by a dramatic reduction in funding for water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. United Nations data shows that financing for such services in Congo fell by more than half between 2024 and 2025. Humanitarian agencies say the current year’s funding appeal remains severely underfunded, leaving critical projects unfinished.
Several major international aid groups, including Mercy Corps, CARE International, Oxfam, and the Danish Refugee Council, have reported scaling back or suspending sanitation programs after reductions in U.S. funding and broader donor cutbacks. These programs previously provided clean water points, public toilets, and hygiene facilities that helped reduce the spread of infectious diseases in displacement camps.
The impact has been dramatic. Mercy Corps said that in 2024 it supported more than 125,000 displaced people through dozens of water points and hundreds of public toilets. This year, because of funding constraints, the organization can serve only a fraction of that number.
The United States remains one of the largest contributors to Ebola response efforts and has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to combating the disease. However, aid groups say reductions in broader sanitation and infrastructure funding have weakened community defenses against outbreaks, leaving vulnerable populations increasingly exposed.
The Ebola outbreak has already infected hundreds of people across affected regions, with Ituri province accounting for the overwhelming majority of confirmed cases. Public health officials fear that if transmission is occurring undetected in camps such as Kigonze, the outbreak could accelerate significantly in the coming weeks.
For families living in the camp, the crisis is already painfully real. One resident who lost two children, including a six-month-old baby, described watching neighbors fall ill one after another. He said the living conditions have become unbearable and that many residents fear more deaths are imminent.
As health authorities await test results and continue efforts to build trust within affected communities, humanitarian organizations are warning that time is running short. Without stronger disease surveillance, improved sanitation, and greater international support, they fear eastern Congo could face a much larger Ebola emergency in the months ahead.
Source Reuters
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