DRC politician beaten to death after Ebola radio appearance in Butembo
A senior figure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's ruling party has been beaten to death in Butembo after appearing on a radio programme about Ebola prevention, according to a party statement. Marie-Celestin Karondwa, who served as acting president of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress federal executive committee in the city, was attacked on Sunday after speaking publicly about measures to limit the spread of the disease. The party said the attackers also stole his belongings and set his house on fire.
Sponsored
The UDPS federation in Butembo said Karondwa later died from his injuries. It said he had been targeted after promoting prevention measures during the broadcast and described him as an innocent victim for defending the party's position on the existence of Ebola and the threat it poses to the population. The statement did not identify those responsible, and it was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the attack or what motivated it.
The killing comes amid a wider pattern of violence linked to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Health workers and treatment centres have faced repeated attacks, with experts saying rumours, misinformation and distrust of health responders have fuelled unrest. The latest incident followed a separate attack on Saturday in nearby Beni Territory, where armed men struck a hand-washing checkpoint, killing at least one person and wounding several others, according to a local civil society group.
Ebola has long been a major public health and security challenge in the country. First identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the disease spreads through body fluids or contaminated materials and can cause severe internal and external bleeding. The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatment or vaccine, and was first announced on 15 May, according to health ministry data cited in the report.
Sponsored
The outbreak has already infected 8,067 people and killed 3,901, making it the largest and deadliest in the country's history, and second only globally to the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. Cases have been confirmed in seven provinces, underlining the scale of the challenge facing health authorities. Butembo has been described as a new hotspot, adding to concerns that local resistance to prevention campaigns could further complicate containment efforts.
What remains unclear is who carried out the killing, whether the attack was organised or spontaneous, and whether any arrests have been made. It is also not yet known whether the arson and theft were directly linked to the assault or carried out separately. The incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of security around health messaging and response teams as the outbreak continues.
Sponsored
