RismadarVoice Reporters
September 29, 2026
A senior official of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruling party has died after being attacked following his participation in a radio programme on Ebola prevention.
Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress federal executive committee in Butembo, was attacked on Sunday after appearing on a radio programme to discuss the Ebola outbreak.
The party’s federation in Butembo said Karondwa was beaten by his attackers, who allegedly stole his belongings and set his house on fire. He later died from injuries sustained in the attack.
The identities and number of those responsible, as well as their motive, were not immediately known.
The UDPS said Karondwa had defended the party’s position on the existence of Ebola and warned about the threat posed by the disease during the radio programme.
The incident comes amid violence and resistance affecting efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo, where misinformation and distrust of health responders have complicated public health operations.
The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15 after laboratory tests confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola. The World Health Organisation says there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo virus, although early supportive care can improve survival.
Latest official figures show that the outbreak had reached 8,067 confirmed cases and 3,901 deaths as of September 26.
The figures make it the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak recorded in the DR Congo.
However, it remains smaller than the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which recorded more than 28,600 cases and over 11,000 deaths across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The disease can spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.
