United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher announced on Friday the allocation of up to US$60 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to step up the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the wider region. The first tranche of $10 million will support affected and high-risk populations in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, with a focus on health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
Just a week ago, on May 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease — which can cause severe and often fatal illness — in DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
As of Friday, the DRC government had reported more than 830 suspected cases, 64 confirmed cases, and 186 deaths. Uganda has confirmed two cases, including one death. Also on Friday, WHO raised the national risk assessment for DRC to “very high” and for Uganda to “high”, warning that the real scale of the outbreak is likely far larger.
In a statement on Friday, Fletcher stressed that the humanitarian community is fully mobilized, noting that, as in previous outbreaks, WHO is leading the response
“These are some of the most difficult operating environments in the world for our lifesaving work. We face conflict and high population movement,” he said.
"We are working to secure safe and sustained access for frontline responders, including to areas controlled by armed groups. It is essential that there is no obstruction of our response. We must have access to all routes – air, land and water – across the affected areas."
Fletcher underscored the challenging epidemiological context, highlighting the absence of licensed vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain. However, he noted that the UN was able to draw on lessons from previous outbreaks.
“Containment depends on fast, coordinated action at the community level. We need strong communication with governments, and effective early warning and detection systems across affected counties,” he added.
“Community trust is essential: we will continue delivering wider humanitarian support to people affected, engage closely with them to understand their needs, preposition supplies where possible, and avoid militarized delivery of support.”
He also paid tribute to the communities and humanitarian workers who are helping to contain the outbreak, and announced that more staff from key UN agencies and partners will be deployed this weekend to reinforce the effort.
Fletcher is in close contact with the Humanitarian Coordinators and teams in DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.
The province of Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with the worst-affected areas located in the densely populated towns of Rwampara, Mongbwalu and Bunia. Concerns are mounting over the spread of Ebola into North Kivu province, where cases have now been confirmed in the urban areas of Goma, Butembo and Katwa, which have a history of Ebola transmission.
In North Kivu, aid agencies are strengthening surveillance measures and introducing screening at entry points, while also adapting their operations, including remote coordination where necessary. Fears of cross-border Ebola transmission are rising, given that DRC shares borders with Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.
On Thursday, the UN reported that its peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO) was providing vital logistical support to enable the swift delivery of medical supplies and equipment to Bunia, where response efforts are being scaled up.
On Wednesday, two cargo flights operated by MONUSCO transported medical supplies and equipment from Nairobi and Kinshasa to Bunia for humanitarian organizations. Earlier in the week, MONUSCO supported the airlift of over 4,600 kilograms of supplies and equipment from a WHO regional warehouse in Nairobi.
The current Ebola outbreak is unfolding against a backdrop of large-scale displacement, insecurity, and severe constraints on humanitarian access in eastern DRC. The situation in Ituri province, which is characterized by the presence of non-state armed groups, ongoing fighting, acute hunger and weak health systems, is further complicating response efforts.
Ebola spreads amid mass displacement and worsening hunger
The rapid spread of Ebola comes amid a broader deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Conflict and weak government control are hindering contact tracing and response operations while exacerbating the risk of the virus spreading to other parts of the country and neighboring states.
The humanitarian crisis in DRC is one of the world's longest-running and most neglected emergencies. Ongoing armed conflict continues to drive the crisis, and the country's human rights and humanitarian situation has steadily deteriorated for years, prompting repeated warnings from the United Nations.
The eastern provinces, particularly Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, have experienced decades of violence as non-state armed groups compete for control of the region’s natural resources. Last year, escalating hostilities spread further across the region, triggering widespread displacement and continuous population movements, as well as heightened protection risks for civilians.
Across the country, more than 7.8 million people are internally displaced, with many having lost their homes, farmland, livestock, and sources of income. Meanwhile, persistently high food prices, disrupted supply chains, and recurrent disease outbreaks, including cholera, measles, and mpox, are pushing already vulnerable communities closer to collapse.
DRC also continues to face one of the world’s largest and most severe hunger crises. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, more than 26.5 million people — nearly one in four Congolese — are struggling to meet their basic food needs.
The latest IPC update, released last week, found that more than 3.6 million people are currently experiencing emergency-level food insecurity (IPC Phase 4), which means they are experiencing critical food shortages that threaten survival without urgent humanitarian assistance. This is the third-largest number of people facing IPC Phase 4 conditions globally, after those in Yemen and Sudan.