RDC: B.C.C lettre au President Felix Tshisekendi – “Concerne: detournmentes des fonds du Tresor Public et de la Gecamines” (31.01.2019)

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)

Déclaration de la haute représentante, au nom de l’Union européenne, sur les relations avec la République Démocratique du Congo à la veille des élections (28.12.2018)

Hier, le gouvernement de la République Démocratique du Congo a sommé l’ambassadeur représentant l’Union européenne de quitter le pays. Rien ne saurait justifier cet acte arbitraire.

Quant à la réciprocité invoquée suite aux sanctions individuelles adoptées à l’encontre de certains citoyens congolais, l’UE tient à rappeler que ces mesures sont liées aux violations des droits de l’homme et aux obstacles créés à une sortie pacifique de la crise en RDC. Elles ont été adoptées le 12 décembre 2016 et le 29 mai 2017 à l’unanimité des 28 Etats membres de l’UE, et seront examinées à nouveau compte tenu des élections en RDC, en les adaptant éventuellement en conséquence.

L’UE est un partenaire de premier plan de la RDC et de sa population, en y maintenant une coopération importante. A la veille d’élections cruciales pour le pays, elle estime que cette décision est totalement contre-productive, nuisant aux intérêts de la population.

Comme la Haute Représentante Federica Mogherini l’avait déclaré au nom de l’UE le 22 novembre, la tenue d’élections inclusives, transparentes, crédibles et pacifiques sera importante pour l’engagement futur de l’Union européenne en RDC. L’UE partage entièrement la préoccupation manifestée par les leaders de la région réunis en urgence à Brazzaville ce 26 décembre, et leur appel à l’apaisement et la retenue en vue de la tenue des scrutins dans la sérénité.

Secretary-General Calls upon All Actors in Democratic Republic of Congo to Ensure Violence-Free Environment for Upcoming Elections (28.12.2018)

SG/SM/19420

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

As the Democratic Republic of the Congo prepares for presidential, legislative and provincial elections on 30 December, the Secretary-General calls on the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, political leaders on all sides, the Commission électorale nationale indépendante and civil society to continue working together to ensure an environment free of violence so that all eligible voters can cast their ballots peacefully on election day.

The Secretary-General further encourages citizens to seize this historic opportunity to participate in the consolidation of the country’s democratic institutions.

The Secretary-General reminds all actors that they have a critical role to play in preventing electoral violence, by refraining from any form of provocation and showing maximum restraint in their words and actions. He also calls on everyone to protect and ensure safe access to health facilities in Ebola impacted areas.

The Secretary-General reiterates the continued commitment of the United Nations to support a peaceful transition of power in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Statement on disruptions to the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (28.12.2018)

by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

28 December 2018
Statement | Geneva

WHO and partners are continuing to respond to the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite a deterioration of the security situation since yesterday morning.

Yesterday our teams in Beni were unable to carry out critical field work, including vaccinations, contact tracing, and following up on alerts of potential new cases. Protests at government buildings in Beni spilled over to an Ebola transit centre, frightening people waiting for Ebola test results and the staff who were caring for them. Staff at the centre temporarily withdrew and most suspected cases were transferred to a nearby treatment centre.

In Butembo, some alerts of potential cases were investigated and confirmed cases were referred to treatment centres but teams were unable to trace contacts or to conduct vaccinations.

Response activities have not been interrupted in other affected areas.

We have reached a critical point in the Ebola response. After an intensification of field activities, we were seeing hopeful signs in many areas, including a recent decrease in cases in Beni.

These gains could be lost if we suffer a period of prolonged insecurity, resulting in increased transmission. That would be a tragedy for the local population, who have already suffered too much.

Our teams in Beni and Butembo are doing everything possible to continue responding, despite the challenging security environment. For example, in Beni, contact tracing is being resumed with the support of local community relays, and WHO is supporting local health authorities to undertake other critical surveillance functions where possible.

In general, the communities in affected areas have been supportive of the response. We ask for everyone to protect health facilities and provide access for responders to the affected populations so that we can stop this outbreak. The population must also have safe access to transit and treatment centres that save lives and stop the spread of Ebola.

Working side by side with the Ministry of Health and our partners, our priority is to end the outbreak. We hope to return to full operations as soon as possible while remaining committed to ensuring the safety of all staff deployed. We cannot afford to take a step back at this critical point in the response.

Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo (14.12.2018)

Non-engagement from communities and conflict continue to hamper response activities in some affected areas.

GENEVA, Switzerland, December 14, 2018 – The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is occurring in an unforgiving context. Non-engagement from communities and conflict continue to hamper response activities in some affected areas. Moreover, poor infection prevention and control (IPC) practices across numerous private and public health centers remain a major source of amplification of the outbreak and risk to health and other frontline workers.

Despite these challenges, substantial progress has been made on multiple fronts to address the situation, and daily successes are being observed in the implementation of proven public health measures alongside newer tools, such as vaccination and novel therapeutics. Together with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and our partners, WHO is further scaling up our response to the developing situation. WHO especially emphasizes the need to continuously improve quality, judiciously deploy new tools at our disposal, and sustain international commitment to response efforts well into 2019. Nonetheless, we remain confident the outbreak can be brought to a conclusion.

During the reporting period (5 through 11 December 2018), 37 new cases were reported from 10 health zones in North Kivu and Ituri provinces: Katwa and Butembo (18), Beni (seven), Mabalako (four), Oicha (three), as well as one case each in Komanda, Kyondo, Mandima, Musienene and Vuhovi. Four new infections of health workers have been reported in Musienene, Katwa and Butembo health zones. In total, 51 (49 confirmed and two probable) health workers have been infected to date, of whom 17 have died. Twenty-three additional survivors were discharged from Ebola treatment centres (ETCs) and reintegrated into their communities. A total of 177 patients have recovered to date.

As of 11 December, 505 EVD cases (457 confirmed and 48 probable), including 296 deaths, have been reported in 12 health zones in North Kivu Province and three health zones in Ituri Province (Figure 1). These zones represent a mix of densely populated urban areas and remote villages, each bringing a variety of factors driving transmission and posing different challenges. Trends in case incidence (Figure 2) reflect the continuation of the outbreak across these geographically dispersed areas, with an average of 33 new cases reported each week since mid-October. Although there has been a general decrease in the intensity of transmission in Beni in recent weeks, the outbreak is intensifying in Butembo and Katwa, and new clusters are emerging elsewhere. At present, the situation remains concerning.

The very high risk of further geographical spread of the outbreak was highlighted this week by the movement of several contacts of confirmed cases from Beni to Kisangani and Goma. All of these contacts were rapidly traced, and have since returned to Beni where they will complete their 21 day follow-up. Several alerts of potential cases were also received from Goma, and towns between Goma and Butembo. These individuals were promptly isolated, reported and tested negative for EVD. Preparedness and operational readiness activities in other areas of North Kivu and Ituri provinces, other provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and neighbouring counties, must continue to be upscaled to rapidly detect and respond to any potential cases.

WHO risk assessment

This outbreak of EVD is affecting north-eastern provinces of the country bordering Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan. Potential risk factors for transmission of EVD at the national and regional levels include: travel between the affected areas, the rest of the country, and neighbouring countries; the internal displacement of populations. The country is concurrently experiencing other epidemics (e.g. cholera, vaccine-derived poliomyelitis, malaria), and a long-term humanitarian crisis. Additionally, the security situation in North Kivu and Ituri at times limits the implementation of response activities. WHO’s risk assessment for the outbreak is currently very high at the national and regional levels; the global risk level remains low. WHO continues to advice against any restriction of travel to, and trade with, the Democratic Republic of the Congo based on currently available information.

As the risk of national and regional spread is very high, it is important for neighbouring provinces and countries to enhance surveillance and preparedness activities. The International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) Emergency Committee has advised that failing to intensify these preparedness and surveillance activities would lead to worsening conditions and further spread. WHO will continue to work with neighbouring countries and partners to ensure that health authorities are alerted and are operationally prepared to respond.

WHO advice

International traffic: WHO advises against any restriction of travel and trade to the Democratic Republic of the Congo based on the currently available information. There is currently no licensed vaccine to protect people from the Ebola virus. Therefore, any requirements for certificates of Ebola vaccination are not a reasonable basis for restricting movement across borders or the issuance of visas for passengers leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO continues to closely monitor and, if necessary, verify travel and trade measures in relation to this event. Currently, no country has implemented travel measures that significantly interfere with international traffic to and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Travellers should seek medical advice before travel and should practice good hygiene.

RDC: Union Democratique Africaine Orginelle (05.12.2018)