Congo police fire warning shots in burial dispute after suspected Ebola death

Congo police fired warning shots and tear gas on Thursday morning in northeastern Congo as part of a dispute over the burial of Eli Munongo Wangu, a footballer who played for local teams. Protesters burned down tents for Ebola patients.

The incident took place in the town of Rwampara. Eli Munongo Wangu's family refused a safe burial for him, disputed that the virus had killed him and demanded to take his body. Munongo had been admitted to hospital days earlier. A doctor told Reuters he was a suspected Ebola case and the hospital had taken samples to run tests. His mother told Reuters she believed her son had died of typhoid fever, not Ebola. His family, friends and neighbours gathered outside the hospital to take his body and bury him themselves, against clear instructions that all bodies must be buried safely, said Jean-Claude Mukendi, a senior police officer coordinating security for the response in Ituri. The crowd then set fire to two tents fitted with eight beds run by medical charity ALIMA. The tents were completely burnt down, along with a body that was due to be buried that day. Six patients were receiving treatment in the tents and are currently being cared for at the hospital, ALIMA said in a statement.

Batakura Zamundu Mugeni, a local customary chief who was present at the scene, said authorities were working with health officials to track down any patients who may have fled as well as contact cases. Jean-Claude Mukendi blamed the unrest on "young people who do not grasp the reality of the disease". The current outbreak is already the third largest on record, with 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases, according to DRC health ministry data published on Thursday.