DRC: Gunmen attack Ebola treatment center in Butembo (North Kivu) Feb. 27 /update 2

Event

Unknown gunmen attacked an Ebola treatment center in Butembo (North Kivu province) on Wednesday, February 27. The assailants reportedly set the health center on fire and engaged in a long gunfight with security forces. No deaths were initially reported. Government sources stated that 50 patients were in the facility at the time of the attack and four are missing. The incident follows a similar attack on Sunday, February 24, at a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) treatment center in Katwa housing 602 patients, which was similarly burned down. MSF has suspended work at the Katwa center as of Tuesday, February 26.

Context

On February 17, MSF announced it would suspend nonessential operations in eastern DRC. According to an MSF spokesperson, operations are being suspended due to security concerns following the kidnapping of two NGO workers in Masisi territory (North Kivu province) on February 8.

The government's limited presence in the DRC's eastern provinces, including North Kivu, as well as the presence of numerous armed groups and local self-defense militias have led to continued insecurity in the area. Humanitarian organizations have stated that security conditions in the Kivu regions present a major obstacle to delivering humanitarian assistance to those in need, as kidnappings, including of Congolese and foreign aid workers, are frequent in the area.

Advice

Individuals in North Kivu and Ituri provinces are advised to monitor the situation, remain vigilant for militant behavior, and take measures to prevent contraction and spread of Ebola virus disease (EVD).