Insecurity in eastern DRC hampers Ebola response: UN

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

Worsening insecurity and repeated attacks against civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) increasingly impede the Ebola response in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that violence in Ituri is also putting displaced families at greater risk.

"According to humanitarian partners, at least 12 displaced children were reportedly abducted by armed people on 27 July near the Plaine Savo displacement site in Djugu territory," OCHA said. "Local civil society organizations report that at least 23 displaced people were killed in and around the site during the first half of this year."

The office said that Plaine Savo is located in the Fataki health zone, where Ebola cases have been confirmed, although no Ebola cases have been confirmed within the site itself. The site hosts more than 76,000 displaced people, many of whom have fled repeated violence.

Humanitarian conditions remain extremely challenging, with limited access to food, clean water and other basic services. Overcrowding and poor living conditions increase the risk of disease transmission, OCHA said.