Page 10 - AT

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 29 November 2019
Rebel attacks in eastern Congo kill several Ebola responders

By AL-HADJI KUDRA MALIRO cials say some believe Eb- cy previously could trace
and CARA ANNA ola is nothing but a political more than 90% of contacts
Associated Press ploy. of infected people in the
BENI, Congo (AP) — Rebels "Imagine, a doctor leaves city but now that figure is
killed four Ebola response home in the U.S. or else- just 17%, a U.N. spokesman
workers in an overnight where to come sleep in a said Tuesday.
ambush in eastern Congo, tent to help save us from Residents accuse Con-
the World Health Organiza- this scourge of Ebola and golese and U.N. forces of
tion said Thursday, warning yet poorly educated young not doing enough to pro-
that the attack will give the people want to attack him. tect civilians from the reb-
waning outbreak new mo- ... It is very deplorable," said els who fight for control of
mentum in what has been Fiston Kamango, a youth the region's vast mineral
called a war zone. leader in Biakato.The latest wealth. The ADF alone is
"We are heartbroken that attacks come after days of blamed for the murders of
our worst fears have been deadly unrest in the city of more than 1,500 people in
realized," WHO chief Tedros Beni, where residents out- and around Beni in the past
Adhanom Ghebreyesus raged by repeated rebel four years.
said. It was by far the dead- In this Tuesday, July 16, 2019 file photo, health workers dressed attacks stormed the local The latest rebel attack out-
liest such attack in the sec- in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center U.N. peacekeeping base, side Beni killed 19 people,
ond-worst Ebola outbreak in Beni, Congo DRC. demanding more protec- the U.N. said Wednesday.
in history, the United Na- Associated Press tion. WHO evacuated 49 of After an emergency meet-
tions health agency said. its staffers there, leaving 71 ing Monday, President Felix
The dead included a mem- The other attack targeted WHO staffers and other in place. Tshisekedi decided to allow
ber of a vaccination team, an Ebola response coordi- aid workers were evacu- The United States, Britain, joint operations between
two drivers and a police of- nation office in Mangina, ated.This is not the first time Canada and Switzerland Congolese and U.N. forces
ficer. Many of the six others WHO said. Allied Demo- that health workers trying on Thursday issued a joint in Beni following the pro-
wounded were with Con- cratic Forces rebels are to to contain the outbreak statement condemning the tests that also burned the
go's health ministry. blame, Beni territory admin- have been targeted. Over- "senseless acts of violence" town hall.
Mai-Mai fighters attacked istrator Donat Kasereka Kib- all, health workers and by armed groups and ap- Far from the capital, Kin-
a camp housing scores of wana said. infrastructure have been pealing for calm while say- shasa, some traumatized
aid workers overnight in Bi- WHO's emergencies direc- attacked 386 times with ing they understood the lo- residents in the densely
akato, local official Salam- tor Dr. Mike Ryan, however, seven people killed and 77 cal frustrations. populated border region
bongo Selemani told The said neither the attackers' wounded, Ryan said. Ebola response work was near Uganda and Rwan-
Associated Press. Warnings identities nor their motiva- Some have called this out- put on lockdown in Beni, da are wary of outsiders,
had been posted demand- tion had been confirmed break more complicated dismaying health experts further complicating the
ing that the health workers but it was "unmistakably than any other. Several who say every attack hurts Ebola containment work in
leave or face "the worst," a directed attack at the rebel groups are active in crucial efforts to contain a part of Congo that had
Selemani said. response." More than 100 the region, and local offi- the deadly virus. Most of never recorded the virus
the recent new cases have before.
been reported in the newly Despite two promising new
targeted communities of Bi- Ebola vaccines, health
akato, Mangina and Beni. workers continue to battle
"The last strongholds of the misinformation and reluc-
virus were in these areas," tance to seek treatment
WHO's Ryan said. He called for the virus that is largely
working conditions in the spread via close contact
remote areas difficult at with the bodily fluids of in-
the best of times. fected people, including
The number of cases had the dead.
been dropping in the In addition, many local
yearlong outbreak which health workers have been
has killed more than 2,100 recruited by the "well-pay-
people and was declared ing" Ebola response, lead-
a rare global health emer- ing to shortages of trained
gency earlier this year. Sev- people to deal with other
eral days this month, zero serious health issues such as
cases were reported. Just an even deadlier measles
seven cases were reported outbreak and malaria, the
in the past week, WHO said. medical charity Doctors
Cases have surged after Without Borders said in a
previous attacks on health statement.q
workers and facilities. "Eb-
ola was retreating. These
attacks will give it force
again," the WHO chief said.
In one example of how
any pause can sharply af-
fect Ebola containment
efforts, WHO has said no
one in Beni could be vac-
cinated against the virus on
Monday. The health agen-