Democratic Republic Of THe Congo-Scourge Act II

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Scourge Act II

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,300 people between 2014 and 2016.

As of late August, more than 2,000 people have perished in the yearlong outbreak of the fatal virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a European Commission report.

Aid workers and others are sounding alarm bells that the recent crisis is poised to become far worse than that of 2014-2016.

Relative peace had reigned for years in the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone when Ebola struck there. In contrast, war and violence have wracked the Democratic Republic of Congo for years.

“To fight Ebola, we need freedom of movement, we need access, we need security,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres during a recent visit to Congo, according to a press release.

The UN has an approximately 15,000-strong peacekeeping force stationed in the country. The BBC explained the history that drew peacekeepers to the country and required them to remain: the 1997-2003 civil war that claimed 5 million lives and dragged in the country’s neighbors, and fighting that flared up after President Joseph Kabila remained in office in violation of the constitution in 2016. Last year, the Guardian wrote about the “bloody cycle of violence and political turmoil” arising from conflicts between rebels and the central government.

This summer, President Felix Tshisekedi, who replaced Kabila in January, launched a campaign to stamp out renegade militias throughout the sprawling, mineral rich Central African nation. Three soldiers and 20 militiamen recently died in a clash in the northeastern region of Ituri, Agence France-Presse reported.

At the same time, public health specialists face hurdles in Congo that similarly hindered their efforts in West Africa, including community traditions of caring for sick loved ones at home.

“We are asking people to leave the safety of their homes when they fall sick to go to an isolated cell in an Ebola treatment center where their lives are in the hands of complete strangers,” Emanuele Capobianco, a doctor with the International Federation of Red Cross, told SkyNews. “And we are doing all this in communities that have learned to distrust outsiders following decades of violence and unrest.”

Science might come to the rescue. Researchers in Congo recently identified the “first clearly effective treatments” for Ebola, reported National Public Radio.

But doctors also face dangers as treatment centers have come under attack in the country.

Politics is another factor in the fight against the virus. After seven months in office, Tshisekedi formed his government recently, including officials who critics say are proof that Kabila still wields too much power in the country, wrote Voice of America.

Hopefully Tshisekedi either helps stop Ebola or gets out of the way of those who can.