Two senior United Nations officials have urged the global community to intensify efforts against the rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Speaking from Bunia in Ituri province, the epicentre of the crisis, Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator, highlighted the alarming trend: "In the last 24 hours, 50 people have died of Ebola in the Congo. The number of cases is doubling every 20 days, outpacing our current response capacity."
Carl Skau, acting executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), described the outbreak as the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic recorded, noting that 1,000 deaths have occurred within just two months—a rate far surpassing past outbreaks in West Africa.
Challenges Amid Conflict and Food Insecurity
The ongoing conflict in eastern DRC has exacerbated the situation, with nearly 10 million people facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity. Ituri province, hardest hit by the outbreak, has nearly 2 million residents in need of food assistance.
Skau emphasized the critical need for expanded resources: "The Ebola response requires urgent scaling up with more funding, medical teams, supplies, and improved access to affected communities."
Funding and Access Concerns
The UN's humanitarian response plan for the DRC demands $2.1 billion but is currently only 45% funded. The WFP alone requires $76 million over the next six months specifically for Ebola-related logistics, excluding food aid.
Harneis also appealed to member states to maintain open borders to facilitate the swift movement of response personnel and supplies, as well as to ensure staff can return home without restrictions.
Without a significant increase in support, the gap between the growing epidemic and the international response will continue to widen, threatening further loss of lives and regional stability.
