At least 30 people have died since the start of May in one camp for displaced civilians in northeastern Congo, a death rate that camp officials described as unprecedented. Some of the deaths have been confirmed as caused by Ebola, signaling that the disease could be spreading rapidly in the area.
Unprecedented Death Toll in Kigonze Camp
The Kigonze camp in Bunia, which is the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has recorded 30 deaths since May. Camp officials stated that the camp typically sees between one and three deaths per month. Camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi told Reuters, “People didn't just die like this before.”
It was not possible to confirm the causes of all deaths because patients or their relatives had refused testing until Thursday, according to a camp spokesperson and aid organization Caritas. However, all victims exhibited symptoms including headaches, fever, and vomiting, which are associated with Ebola.
Resistance to Testing and Burial Practices
Camp President Dz'djo Ndrutsi Etienne reported that 10 people were buried in one week alone. Justin Zanamuzi, director of Caritas, said his team saw several bodies covered in sheets, including a pregnant woman and children. “Our team tried to persuade people to accept doctors to inspect the bodies. They completely refused,” Zanamuzi said.
Footage shared by a civil society leader and verified by Reuters showed health teams in hazmat suits disinfecting bodies and preparing tiny coffins. Camp resident Kato Lonu, 47, who lost two children including a 6-month-old, said, “These are conditions that no human being should have to live in. If you look around, people are dying one after another.”
Ebola Confirmed in Some Victims
Grodya said health workers had taken samples from five victims, some of which tested positive for Ebola. Three aid sources also confirmed on Saturday that test samples from some victims this week were positive for Ebola, without specifying the number.
The outbreak was first declared by Congolese officials on May 15, but deaths had begun earlier in the month. The Kigonze camp houses more than 15,000 residents. The deaths raise fears that Ebola may be circulating undetected among eastern Congo's over 5 million displaced people, with resistance to testing compounding the challenge posed by severely limited sanitation.
Funding Cuts Exacerbate Sanitation Crisis
Four aid workers said the spike in deaths highlights how communities are now more exposed to diseases like Ebola as donors, including the U.S. under President Donald Trump, have cut funding for water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) services. These services are essential in fighting a disease that spreads through bodily fluids.
Data compiled by the U.N. showed that funding for toilets and handwashing stations in Congo more than halved between 2024 and 2025, to around $38 million. This year's $80 million appeal is only 21% funded.
In Kigonze, large families share plastic tents spaced less than a meter apart, and children walk barefoot in dirt alleyways. There are toilets marked USAID, but Grodya and an aid source said there are not enough and they often overflow. “The latrines, they fill up very quickly, and people have to empty them themselves, with their bare hands,” Grodya said.
Impact of U.S. Aid Cuts
Washington has been the top supporter of WASH services in Congo, providing over $60 million in 2024 to reduce disease spread, according to a summary shared by a former USAID official. The Trump administration has defended the cuts, saying it wants to focus on “hyper-prioritised life-saving humanitarian assistance.” The U.S. has committed more than $375 million in direct Ebola funding.
Four aid groups—Mercy Corps, Danish Refugee Council, CARE International, and Oxfam—said their U.S.-funded WASH projects for displaced people in the three Ebola-affected provinces were scaled back or dropped since last year's cuts. Mercy Corps built 82 taps and more than 400 public toilets serving over 125,000 displaced people in 2024. This year, funding cuts mean that fewer than 19,000 people are served by six taps and no public toilets.
Congo has hundreds of camps for civilians fleeing war, some home to 100,000 people. Ebola deaths have already been recorded in another camp in the same province of Ituri, which has over 90% of nearly 900 confirmed cases.
