IRC warns conflict, aid cuts could fuel Ebola crisis

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]And aid groups are warning the Ebola outbreak in central Africa could become the deadliest on record. The International Rescue Committee says three key warning sirens are flashing red. The outbreak is spreading faster than the response. Conflict and displacement are accelerating the risk and global aid cuts have weakened health systems on the front lines. The World Health Organization says the number of suspected cases in Eastern Congo is near 1,000 with at least 220 suspected deaths. Now Uganda's closing its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo trying to slow the spread. IRC senior vice president for international programs Kieran Donnelly is here for more. Kieran, thanks for coming on. So what are you hearing from your teams in Africa about how dire this is?

[00:00:43]>> Now as you said um we are very very alarmed at the situation on the ground in Eastern Congo and indeed in the wider region. Um the numbers that we're seeing reported of over 220 suspected deaths uh almost a thousand suspected cases those are almost certainly a significant underestimate of the uh the extent of this outbreak. Um reports uh that it has been circulating for potentially up to 4 months around communities in eastern Congo um have us worry that that there is a much more widespread uh set of infections out there in communities that hasn't been undetected. Now that coupled with uh the situation in eastern Congo, high levels of conflict, uh multiple different armed groups controlling territory, poorest borders uh means that the uh disease has already spread to Uganda, possibly to other countries and is set to continue spreading and the weakened uh state of the Congalles health system and the humanitarian capacity on the ground um in part because of global funding cuts over the past year means that the response is not where it needs to be we and others are scaling up as fast as we can. Um but we're facing an uphill battle.

[00:01:56]>> You say conflict in the region is fueling this crisis. How?

[00:02:00]>> So uh in eastern Congo uh territory is controlled by multiple different armed groups in opposition to the government often in opposition to each other. The government of DRC obviously controls uh quite a significant part of the the territory including uh Buna, the capital of Etorii province which is the epicenter of this outbreak. Um, in a situation of armed conflict and displacement, it becomes harder to sustain quality health services. It's harder to reach communities. There's a higher degree of mistrust among communities of the motives of different actors, including international actors who come into those communities to try to identify cases to support contact tracing. We've already seen that mistrust uh spill over into hostility and violence against Ebola treatment centers. We saw this as a significant factor in the 2018 outbreak in DRC as well. Um and so simply um if you think about the all of the challenges of managing a contagious and highly fatal disease outbreak in in a stable situation, those are amplified because of the challenges on the ground for health workers, humanitarian agencies in a conflict uh situation.

[00:03:07]>> The IRC says cuts to global aid funding have dismantled defenses at the wrong moment. Was this outbreak preventable?

[00:03:16]Um this is the 17th outbreak of Ebola in DRC and and the Congalles government and and those organizations like the IRC who've worked in DRC for many many years have um greatly developed capacity to identify outbreaks early to respond quickly and to curtail those outbreaks um before they become uh widespread. In this case, the fact that uh the the disease was circulating in in communities in URI province and possibly further a field for at least two months and possibly up to four months um is all that needs to be said about the extent of the health systems in DRC. Um if we'd had a fully functioning health system, if we'd not had the depletion of capacity because of global funding cuts over the past year, this would have been identified sooner. Uh responses could have been mobilized. um a contacts could have been traced and we wouldn't be in the alarming situation that we're in today.

[00:04:12]>> So, what will it take to contain the outbreak now and what happens if it's not?

[00:04:17]>> Uh we need a massive flood of resources and support into the region. Uh that involves funding, but it also involves qualified personnel, logistics support.

[00:04:27]Uh we need flights to be able to get um uh health health clinical staff and aid workers into the region. Uh we need the ability to stand up uh treatment centers at scale. We need a lot of community outreach. Communities are key to stopping the outbreak. Uh we need to get out there and build confidence in communities that they can come forward and identify uh suspected cases safe in the knowledge that they and their loved ones will be treated with respect and dignity. And often that that that concern is something that prevents communities coming forward and sustains the outbreak. Um and we need to pay particular attention to those who are hardest hit and that's women and girls.

[00:05:06]The vast majority of cases confirmed to date have been among women and girls um highlighting the fact that caregivers in the home are most at risk from this outbreak. In every humanitarian crisis, it's often women and girls who suffer the most and that is true in an Ebola outbreak um as elsewhere.

[00:05:22]>> All right, IRC senior vice president Kieran Donnelly, we appreciate your time today. Thank you.