Ebola Outbreak in Congo: Trust Crisis Threatens Response, HRW Warns

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – The government and international partners must prioritize community engagement and limit the role of security forces in fighting the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today. Years of conflict, abuse, and neglect have strained healthcare systems and eroded public trust, which risks complicating the response, HRW warned. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on May 17. The virus, a strain called Bundibugyo Ebola, has no approved vaccine or treatment and kills up to 50 percent of those infected. It had been spreading undetected for months. As of June 6, the WHO reported 515 confirmed cases in Congo, including 91 deaths, and 19 cases in neighboring Uganda, with 2 deaths. Cuts to global health funding may have delayed detection. The Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025. This, combined with years of underfunding for Congo’s humanitarian response, weakened the systems needed to detect and respond to outbreaks, HRW said. “The Ebola outbreak in a region ravaged by atrocities and years of neglect, compounded by major cuts to global health funding, has created a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Ida Sawyer, Crisis and Conflict director at HRW. Past outbreaks show that community engagement and social support, such as food aid, are more effective than military force. During the 2018-2020 outbreak, which killed 2,299 people, the involvement of security forces deepened mistrust. Armed groups also exploited the influx of funding, creating what locals called “Ebola business.” The current outbreak is centered in Ituri province. Mass displacement and a degraded healthcare system have created high-risk conditions. Armed groups and government forces have attacked hospitals and clinics. In 2025, there were 325 reported attacks on health facilities in Congo, nearly triple the 2024 total. In May, residents attacked Ebola care facilities in the towns of Rwampara and Mongbwalu, reflecting local distrust. The US government announced $112 million in emergency aid for Congo on May 28. However, this money is entering a system weakened by years of cuts. The US cut emergency response aid to Congo by more than half between 2024 and 2025, from $805 million to $373 million. “A lot of the trust that we built disappeared,” said Grace Tran, who worked on Ebola preparedness with USAID during the 2018 outbreak. The US withdrawal from the WHO in January also damaged coordination. The US was absent from the WHO’s World Health Assembly in May, where world leaders discussed a global response. “Lack of coordination causes death. And our failure to coordinate is killing people,” a former senior USAID official told HRW. HRW called on donor countries and international organizations to urgently fund the response, ensure transparency, and base the effort on community engagement rather than military force.