Ebola Outbreak Enters Rebel-Controlled South Kivu in Eastern Congo

An Ebola outbreak in the has reportedly spread into parts of South Kivu province controlled by the Rwanda-backed militia, raising fresh fears over the growing spread of the deadly disease across eastern Congo.

The latest outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever has already been declared an international health emergency by the and is believed to have killed more than 130 people so far. According to an M23 spokesperson, tests “confirm a new positive case” linked to Bukavu in South Kivu province, an area seized by the armed group in February 2025.

“The person concerned, a compatriot aged 28, unfortunately succumbed to the disease before the diagnosis was confirmed,” the spokesman said, adding that “the burial was carried out in strict compliance with safety standards.”

The spokesman stated that the victim had travelled from Kisangani in Tshopo province, where no Ebola cases linked to the current outbreak had previously been recorded. The outbreak response has reportedly been complicated by ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, where fighting between Congolese forces and M23 rebels has divided major parts of North and South Kivu provinces.

Health officials say the outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine or clinical treatment currently exists. According to the WHO, the Democratic Republic of Congo is now facing its 17th Ebola outbreak, with nearly 600 suspected cases already recorded.

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Many infections have been concentrated in remote parts of Ituri province, while additional cases have also been confirmed in North Kivu and neighbouring, where one death has been reported. The crisis has also affected other sectors, with the Congolese national football team cancelling a planned World Cup training camp in Kinshasa due to fears surrounding the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the has introduced stricter airport screening measures for passengers arriving from Congo, Uganda and, while has imposed a temporary ban on visitors from the affected countries. The WHO said the regional risk from the outbreak remains high, although it currently considers the risk of a global pandemic to be low.