DR Congo bans mass gatherings in Kinshasa amid Ebola spread fears

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned mass gatherings in the capital, Kinshasa, and three other areas as authorities try to stop Ebola spreading beyond the country's eastern provinces. The order was issued by Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani, according to the supplied report, as officials warned that the outbreak could reach the city of about 18 million people. The restriction also applies to Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele, which border provinces where Ebola has already been confirmed.

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The current outbreak has so far been detected in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, all in the east of the country, around 1,800 km from Kinshasa. Health officials say the outbreak remains confined to those three provinces, and mass gatherings have already been banned there for weeks. Ituri is described as the worst affected area, accounting for more than 90% of infections.

The government also ordered a 21-day quarantine for travellers moving from Ebola-affected areas to other parts of the country after a doctor who tested positive in France had passed through Kinshasa on his way home from work at an Ebola treatment centre. The decision has prompted criticism from opposition figures, who say it may be politically motivated. Prince Epenge, a spokesperson for the Lamuka coalition, said the move was political because no Ebola cases have been confirmed in Kinshasa.

Rodrigue Ramazani, secretary-general of the opposition party Envol, urged protesters to ignore the ban and attend a march planned for 8 July, saying the directive looked more like a political manoeuvre than a public health measure. The government has not responded publicly to those accusations in the supplied material. The ban comes at a sensitive moment for the country, where public health measures and political tensions are intersecting.

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Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo have repeatedly forced authorities to balance disease control with public trust, movement restrictions and local resistance. In this case, the capital's size and central role in national politics make any spread there a major concern for officials. The fact that the outbreak is still concentrated in the east does not reduce the risk, because travel links can carry infections into new areas before symptoms are recognised.

The planned march is being organised by the C64 coalition, an alliance opposing a proposed law that critics say could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to remain in power beyond his two-term limit. That political backdrop has sharpened scrutiny of the ban, especially because the capital has not reported confirmed Ebola cases. At the same time, the eastern provinces remain the centre of the health emergency, with authorities trying to prevent further transmission across provincial borders.

The order therefore sits at the intersection of outbreak control, public order and political contestation. What remains unclear is how strictly the ban will be enforced in Kinshasa and the other affected areas, and whether it will alter the planned 8 July demonstration. It is also not yet clear whether the government will issue further public guidance in response to the opposition criticism.

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