Already plagued by armed conflicts and a humanitarian crisis, the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is now facing an Ebola epidemic, the 17th in the country since the virus was discovered in 1976. Authorities are now concerned about the presence of the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is neither a vaccine nor a treatment, and whose fatality rate varies between 40% and 90%. Confirmed cases in Uganda raise fears of a regional health crisis and the spread of the epidemic to neighboring countries such as Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, especially since the Ituri province, the epicenter of the virus, experiences significant population movements due to ongoing conflicts in the area. For now, most neighboring countries have closed their borders or implemented health screening protocols for individuals to limit the risks of virus spread.
Although travel is complicated in the region due to poor road conditions, further worsened by the recently ended rainy season, and by clashes between armed groups and the Congolese armed forces since 2021, the epidemic appears to be spreading southward: first in Katwa, in the city of Butembo, and also in Goma, the main city of North Kivu province seized by the M23 armed group in January 2025, where authorities recorded one case of contamination, leading to the identification of 189 contact cases.
It is in this province, particularly in Goma and Mweso, that Doctors of the World has been carrying out humanitarian projects since the beginning of 2025, following the conflict’s expansion. On the ground, teams provide primary health care, sexual and reproductive health (including the management of gender-based violence), malnutrition treatment, and psychological first aid, while also contributing to strengthening health structures.
OUR INTERVENTION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Present in the DRC since 1994, Doctors of the World operates in Kinshasa, North Kivu, and Tanganyika.
In the Tanganyika province bordering South Kivu, MdM works in the health zones of Kalemie, Niemba, and Nyunzu to address the basic health needs of host populations and internally displaced persons affected by conflicts. MdM’s intervention aims to ensure free access to primary health care, nutritional care, and sexual and reproductive health services through the provision of equipment and the supply of medicines and medical materials. The project enables free care and the management of life-threatening emergencies in over a dozen health centers and deploys MdM mobile teams to support health structures in the province in case of population displacements, epidemics, or natural disasters to ensure continuity of care for affected populations.