The attack on Nyakunde Hospital in Ituri province was triggered by the tragic death of a local woman who had arrived at the facility to give birth. After developing severe anemia, her family members offered to donate blood for a life-saving transfusion. However, the hospital was forced to refuse, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Under strict medical protocols designed to contain the highly infectious virus, blood transfusions are prohibited during an active Ebola outbreak due to the extreme risk of transmission.
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When the woman passed away, grieving and angry relatives, joined by a growing crowd, launched a violent assault on the hospital. The mob threw stones and tore down the facility’s perimeter fence, causing widespread panic.
“The medical team has since left the hospital. The generator supplying power to the facility is no longer functioning, and patients have fled,” said François Berocan Uderos, a medical biologist at the hospital.
Up to ten patients undergoing Ebola treatment escaped during the chaos. Ken Isaacs, vice president of the Christian aid group Samaritan’s Purse, which operates an adjacent treatment center, confirmed they evacuated their entire team as the situation deteriorated.
While some patients managed to run, those too weak to leave were left behind in the darkened facility without treatment. Roadblocks set up around the area have prevented aid workers from returning. The Congolese army has since launched an investigation into the unrest.
This latest clash highlights the severe challenges health workers face in eastern Congo, where deep-seated community mistrust, misinformation, and security threats constantly hamper medical efforts. Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak has already resulted in 2,073 confirmed cases and 796 deaths. The ongoing crisis is even beginning to impact geopolitics, disrupting negotiations for a major U.S.-backed minerals partnership in the region.
