GANG KILLS EBOLA NURSE IN DR CONGO

Health officials said a gang armed with machetes killed a nurse working on the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attackers also injured a second health worker, whom police rescued. The attack took place on Friday in a remote part of Tshopo province. Officials said the gang accused the workers of spreading Ebola by contaminating local water sources.

The nurse worked at the general hospital in Bafwasende and had helped raise awareness about the Bundibugyo strain. The DRC health ministry reported more than 4,800 deaths in the outbreak since May; another account put the toll at almost 5,000 and infections at almost 10,000. In late September, attackers beat politician Marie-Celestin Karondwa to death after he spoke on radio about Ebola prevention measures. His UDPS party said the attackers stole his belongings and set fire to his house. Neither the party nor law enforcement officials confirmed who carried out that attack or how many people took part.

The UDPS federation in Butembo called Karondwa an “innocent victim for having ‌defended ⁠the party’s position on the existence of the Ebola virus disease […] and the threat it poses to the population.” The motive for his killing remains unclear. The World Health Organisation and the United Nations condemned the attack on the health workers. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety.”