DR Congo: at least 30 civilians killed in Beni Territory, North Kivu, OCHA says, as the attack halts Ebola response teams

At least 30 civilians were killed overnight on Thursday 5 November in Beni Territory, in North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to local sources cited by the United Nations aid coordination office, OCHA. The UN reported the figure on Friday 6 November.

OCHA’s account says homes were burnt and a health centre was destroyed in the attack, and that several patients were killed there. Local authorities attributed the attack to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group active in the area, according to news reports cited by the UN. The UN account does not give an independent attribution, so the responsibility remains a claim by the local authorities.

The Ebola response is disrupted

The violence has also hit the response to the Ebola outbreak in the same region. According to the UN, people who had been in contact with Ebola patients reportedly fled an observation centre, and response teams had to suspend their operations. That makes it harder to trace infections and contain the outbreak. Authorities have reported more than 10,700 confirmed cases and more than 5,200 deaths.

Geopolitiki has reported on the outbreak before, when it passed 10,000 cases as the WHO called for sustained efforts in late October.

What the UN is asking for

The UN called on all parties to protect civilians, respect international humanitarian law and ensure safe, unhindered access for humanitarian and health workers. It warned that continued violence is costing lives and undermining efforts to contain the outbreak.

Asked at the daily briefing in New York about burial practices during the outbreak, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said they were being addressed through community outreach. He added that disinformation about the work of frontline health workers had led to attacks on staff, and he praised the courage of the workers, most of them Congolese, who continue to fight the disease amid the fighting between armed groups that has affected the region for decades.

The Beni attack comes as aid agencies are also warning of growing needs elsewhere on the continent. In Sudan, UN agencies said this week that warehouses are empty and 15.4 million people need shelter, with only one in ten reached.

The figure of at least 30 dead rests on local sources relayed by OCHA, and no official statement from the Congolese authorities or from the ADF was available in the UN report. Further figures may change as access to the area allows verification.