Congo police fire warning shots in burial dispute after suspected Ebola death

RWAMPARA, May 21 - Police fired warning shots and tear gas as part of a dispute in northeastern Congo over the burial of a suspected Ebola victim, a footballer who played for local teams, that saw protesters burn down tents for Ebola patients, Reuters witnesses said.

The incident highlighted the struggle Congolese authorities could face to enforce the safe burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak.

It took place in the town of Rwampara, which has been hit hard by the latest Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

Bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious after death, and unsafe burials - in which family members handle the body without proper protective equipment - are a leading driver of transmission.

The first known case in the current outbreak died in Bunia, Ituri's provincial capital, on April 24 and the virus spread after his body was returned home to the nearby town of Mongbwalu and mourners gathered around him and touched him during a funeral.

PROTESTERS BURN DOWN TENTS RECEIVING PATIENTS

On Thursday morning, the family of footballer Eli Munongo Wangu refused a safe burial for him, disputed that the virus had killed him and demanded to take his body, the Reuters witnesses said.

Munongo had played for several local teams and was a well-known figure in his neighbourhood. He had been admitted to hospital days earlier. A doctor told Reuters he was a suspected Ebola case and the hospital had taken samples to run tests.

His mother told Reuters she believed her son had died of typhoid fever, not Ebola.

His family, friends and neighbours gathered outside the hospital to take his body and bury him themselves, against clear instructions that all bodies must be buried safely, said Jean-Claude Mukendi, a senior police officer coordinating security for the response in Ituri.

Soldiers tried to defuse the tension before police intervened, using tear gas and firing warning shots to disperse the crowd, the Reuters witnesses said.

The crowd then set fire to two tents fitted with eight beds run by medical charity ALIMA, Mukendi said, before army and police reinforcements arrived to bring the situation under control.

The tents were completely burnt down, along with a body that was due to be buried that day. Six patients were receiving treatment in the tents and are currently being cared for at the hospital, ALIMA said in a statement.

CONTACT TRACING PATIENTS WHO MAY HAVE FLED

Batakura Zamundu Mugeni, a local customary chief who was present at the scene, said authorities were working with health officials to track down any patients who may have fled as well as contact cases.

Mukendi blamed the unrest on "young people who do not grasp the reality of the disease".

Mistrust and disinformation hampered the response to previous Ebola outbreaks in Congo. Hundreds of health centres were attacked by armed groups and angry civilians during the 2018-2020 outbreak in North Kivu province, which was the second-deadliest on record with nearly 2,300 fatalities.

The current outbreak, which the Congolese government declared on Friday, is already the third largest on record, with 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases, according to DRC health ministry data published on Thursday.

Congo's national soccer team have been forced to cancel World Cup buildup events in Kinshasa due to the outbreak and will instead continue preparations in Belgium in order to comply with U.S. travel restrictions, a team spokesperson said. REUTERS