Six months on, Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo now second largest in history (31.01.2019)

This is the 10th Ebola outbreak in the DRC and the country’s worst.

BANGKOK, Thailand, January 31, 2019 – Since the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was declared six months ago on 1st August 2018, more than 740 people – 30 per cent of whom are children – have been infected with the disease, including over 460 who have died, and 258 that have survived Ebola. Alongside the Government and partners, UNICEF is scaling up its response to assist victims, control the spread of the disease and ultimately end the deadly outbreak.

This is the 10th Ebola outbreak in the DRC and the country’s worst. It is also the world’s second largest Ebola outbreak in history after the one in West Africa in 2014-2016. The response to this latest outbreak continues to be hampered by insecurity, frequent movement of people in the affected areas, and resistance from some communities.

“While we have been able to largely control the disease in Mangina, Beni and Komanda, the virus continues to spread in the Butembo area, largely because of insecurity and population movement,” said Dr. Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in the DRC. “We are scaling up our response and deploying additional staff in the health zones of Butembo and Katwa, where 65 per cent of the new Ebola cases in the last three weeks have occurred.” 

Since the beginning of the epidemic, UNICEF and its partners have deployed more than 650 staff to work with Government, civil society, churches, and non-governmental organizations – to assist people and families who’ve been infected and to raise awareness about the best hygiene and behavioural practices to prevent Ebola from spreading.

UNICEF’s Ebola response focuses on community engagement, providing water and sanitation, making schools safe from Ebola and supporting children and families infected and affected by Ebola. UNICEF aims to control and prevent the spread of the disease, and ultimately stop the outbreak; to reduce Ebola-related deaths among those infected; and to provide protection, alleviate suffering and give assistance to affected children and families.

People who’ve been infected, as well as affected families and their children, including children orphaned by Ebola and unaccompanied children, continue to receive psychosocial support to help them cope with the consequences of the Ebola disease. UNICEF is also providing a protective environment for children in schools and nutrition assistance, including to children and adults in Ebola Treatment Centers.

“Our teams in Mangina, Beni, Oicha, Komanda, Butembo and Lubero are working tirelessly with this multi-pronged approach to end the Ebola outbreak as quickly as possible, and to help affected children and families,” stressed Dr. Rotigliano.

To date, UNICEF and its partners have:

  • Reached out to more than 10 million people in affected areas with prevention messages in collaboration with community leaders and through mass media;
  • Provided drinking water to more than 1.3 million people in public places, health facilities and schools;
  • Trained 8,146 teachers on Ebola prevention measures;
  • Reached 157,133 children in 888 schools with prevention messages;
  • Provided assistance to 830 families directly affected by Ebola;
  • Identified 686 Ebola orphans and provided them with appropriate care.

Mass-graves found of at least 535 killed during ‘organized and planned’ inter-communal attacks in western DR Congo (31.01.2019)

The initial investigation conducted by the Joint UN Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), attached to the mission, has concluded that in addition to the dead, 111 other villagers were wounded.

NEW YORK, United States of America, January 31, 2019 – A preliminary UN investigation into a massacre reportedly carried out in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last month, reveals that “at least 535 civilians were killed in four attacks”, the UN Mission in the country, MONUSCO, said on Wednesday

In mid-January, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, said that according to “credible reports”, hundreds of villagers from the four communities in Yumbi, had been killed during inter-ethnic clashes between the Banunu and Batende communities, during several days, beginning on 16 December. She deplored the “shocking violence” and highlighted the importance of “investigating and bringing the perpetrators to justice”.

The initial investigation conducted by the Joint UN Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), attached to the mission, has concluded that in addition to the dead, 111 other villagers were wounded.

There has been no confirmation of exactly who carried out the killings but the mission said that “the attacks were conducted in an organized and planned manner, and were extremely violent and fast, leaving little time for the populations to flee”.

The wave of violence was allegedly triggered by a dispute over the burial of the customary chief of the Banunu community.

“The team identified a total of 59 burial sites in two of the attacked towns, but do not rule out more sites,” said a statement from MONUSCO on Wednesday. “Furthermore, 967 properties, including churches, schools and health centers were looted or destroyed, and at least 363 boats were destroyed.”

An estimated 16,000 people reportedly fled Yumbi and the surrounding area, to different locations including “some 7,000 persons who, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), sought refuge by crossing the river into the Republic of Congo. The Mission reports that the security situation is currently relatively calm, with national security forces having deployed to the area.”

Ebola outbreak in DRC’s east, now world’s second largest ever

In eastern DRC, the outbreak of deadly Ebola virus disease which began six months ago, has now officially become the second largest ever, the UN reported on Wednesday.

More than 740 people, 30 per cent of them children, have been infected so far, and 460 have died, with a total of 258 surviving the disease. UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, said that I was scaling up its response to help victims, as part of the Government and World Health Organization-led effort to end the outbreak – the largest in the country’s history.

“The response to this latest outbreak continues to be hampered by insecurity, frequent movement of people in the affected areas, and resistance from some communities,” said UNICEF.

“While we have been able to largely control the disease in Mangina, Beni and Komanda, the virus continues to spread in the Butembo area, largely because of insecurity and population movement,” added Dr. Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in the DRC. “We are scaling up our response and deploying additional staff in the health zones of Butembo and Katwa, where 65 per cent of the new Ebola cases in the last three weeks have occurred.” 

The UN and its humanitarian partners have dispatched emergency help in the form of medicine, food, water tablets and malaria kits, and further assistance is on the way.

MONUSCO to support authorities, ‘bring justice to the victims’, promote reconciliation

The head of the UNJHRO has reported that each communal grave discovered so far – reportedly dug initially by local Red Cross workers and returning family members who had fled – likely contained dozens of bodies, while there were more than 40 other individual graves unearthed, following the joint fact-finding mission that was conducted along with local authorities.

The outbreak of inter-ethnic violence in December took place just weeks ahead of crucial Presidential elections, which had been delayed for two years. Voters in Yumbi were unable to cast their votes, as the Electoral Commission building was among those totally destroyed.

MONUSCO said it “strongly condemns” the violence and is calling for a thorough investigation. The mission said it was ready to support the Congolese authorities to “bring justice to the victims, and promote reconciliation between the two communities.”

RDC: M.L.C – Communique (30.01.2019)

RDC: Red-Tabara – Communique (29.01.2019)

RDC: CENI – Communique de Presse (07.11.2018)

RDC: Declaration des Candidats President de la Republique et des Leaders de l’Opposition en Rapport avec les Atteintes Deliberees Portees au Processus Electoral par le Pouvoir Sortant (07.11.2018)

RDC: Bruno Tshibala – “Concerne: Suspension de missions de controle” (07.11.2018)

RDC: Red-Tabara – Communique (05.11.2018)

RDC: Declaration Commune des Forces vives et Politiques sur la Machine a Voter et sur un Scrutin Credible et Transparent en Republique Democratique du Congo (02.11.2018)

North Kivu: Violent events and fatalities in the province has surpassed last year already!

If you ever thought, it would be peaceful and not be problems in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. You are wrong and sadly so. As The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) released an report on this year’s activity in the Province and the numbers are striking. They are not in the positive aspect, but more fatalities and more events that are violent have been registered this year.

This meaning, that the North Kivu are seeing and are more hurt by the FARDC and the ADF in the region. Both parties are battling and these battles are costly. The FARDC alone is registered with 19 killings, while the total in the province is 801 and that is six more than whole of last year. This is up to October, so the numbers might be worse by the time ticking into 2019.

Let ACLED explain:

“The number of violent events in North Kivu in 2018 thus far has surpassed the number of violent events recorded for all of 2017. In 2017 there were 307 violent events and protests recorded in the province, resulting in 795 reported fatalities; in 2018 to date, there have been 493 violent events and protests, responsible for 801 reported fatalities. Much of the increase in violence in 2018 is driven by an increase in the targeting of civilians by rebel groups and community militias, as well as battles between armed groups and the government, as demonstrated in the graph below” (…) “Despite the difficulties in tracking ADF activities, recorded events suggest that the group is becoming more active in 2018. Violent events involving the ADF in North Kivu have surged more than 140% from 2017, rising to 92 violent events in 2018 thus far. The government’s offensive may be behind the increased number of activities involving the rebel group, as well as behind the increase in civilian targeting by rebel groups” (…) “The Congolese security forces have also targeted civilians in North Kivu in 2018. This year, there have been 17 events in which the Congolese security sector targeted civilians, resulting in a reported 19 fatalities. This increase in civilian targeting may be a function of the difficulty of discerning civilians from rebel group members; according to the Congo Research Group, though the ADF was not founded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has cultivated significant ties with the local community and pursued integrative strategies” (ACLED – ‘Layered Insecurity in North Kivu: Violence and the Ebola Response’ 26.10.2018).

These reports from ACLED is really compelling as the North Kivu are hit again and again. By not only militias taking lives of civilians, but also the FARDC. This is happening, as the MONUSCO still has a mission and supposed to be the balanced force, but the province are still seeing violence and fatalities.

These sorts of reports are important, because they shows the bigger picture and also shows the signs of either progress or not. This report from ACLED is accurate and has the sources for their numbers. Therefore, I can trust these numbers as they have reported. That there is issues in North Kivu and that it is ongoing is telling.

This is happening in the year of the postponed elections. The Insecurity continues and who knows who earns on the fatalities. That is the sad thing, all of them, every single one of the fatalities is one to many, and none of them should have been lost. Peace.