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Ebola and Conflict

The Ebola outbreak and response in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are taking place in the northeast of the country, where armed conflict and strong economic forces affect daily life and make the outbreak hard to control. The main driver is competition among armed groups to profit from mining. Here we review the historical and economic context and what it means for the response effort.

The conflict in the northeast DRC is driven by two forces: long-standing ethnic conflict and competition over minerals. Tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu groups predate the end of Belgian colonial rule in 1960. At the same time, the DRC is one of the world’s largest mining countries, and the east in particular holds gold, tin, tantalum, tungsten, and diamonds that armed groups compete to control. The main groups include M23/AFC, ADF, CODECO, and various Mai-Mai/Wazalendo militias, operating alongside the Congolese army and foreign and regional actors, mainly in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. [1] 

While the conflict is long-standing, it escalated sharply in 2025. Renewed fighting in the east, especially in North and South Kivu, has forced large population movements, while insecurity, looting, and access restrictions have disrupted aid and basic services.

Artisanal mining is the livelihood for hundreds of thousands of people in eastern DRC and contributes to the region’s economy. But the work carries serious health and occupational risks, especially where it is not formally regulated. Miners are exposed to chemical hazards such as mercury poisoning, biological pathogens such as cholera and malaria, and physical and psychosocial risks. Efforts by the authorities to promote safer practices run into socio-economic and administrative barriers. [2]

Hygiene and sanitation are also poor. Inadequate water supply, a lack of toilets, and improper waste management have led to recurring infectious diseases in these communities. The problem is compounded by the shortage of proper health facilities and by the constant movement and displacement driven by insecurity, trade, and conflict. Together, these conditions create an environment in which infectious disease outbreaks are common and much harder to detect and control.

Eastern DRC is also the site of one of the world’s largest displacement crises. Years of conflict have forced large numbers of people from their homes into displacement camps. These are settlements where families who have fled violence live, often for long stretches, relying on aid for basic needs rather than traditional community structures. Families face disruption in their daily activities, including reduced access to essential services, marketplaces, and work. [3] These camps are concentrated in Ituri, particularly around the city of Bunia, and across North and South Kivu, part of a displacement crisis affecting more than 900,000 people in the region. Many live in crowded conditions with limited water, sanitation, and health care, which leaves them vulnerable to infectious diseases. [4, 5, 6, 7]

Ebola outbreak

The Ebola outbreak is where the violence and mining threads come together. The same corner of the country holds mobile mining communities, large displaced populations living in camps, and daily life disrupted by conflict, a combination that may be a worst case for a deadly outbreak. People move frequently between mining sites, markets, camps, and home villages, so the virus travels with them, and the contacts of any infected individual are scattered and hard to trace. Crowding, poor sanitation, and minimal health care result in rapid and undetected disease spread, while insecurity and mistrust of outside responders, as well as weak community ties for mutual support, keep the sick from being found and treated. Each of these conditions is hard on its own; together they make Ebola far harder to detect and control than in a stable community setting.

The camps show this most starkly. Reuters reports cramped conditions, with hundreds of people at times sharing a single toilet and open defecation common, which is especially dangerous for a disease transmitted through bodily fluids. [8] Clean water and hygiene are scarce, and combined with fear of infection, lack of medical advice, and mistrust of aid groups, they make daily life not just difficult but deadly. [3]

UNHCR has warned that the current Ebola outbreak poses a significant threat to displaced communities, [9] and reports indicate that contact tracing has been limited. [10] The healthcare system was already strained before the outbreak and now struggles to keep up with the spread. The result is a fast-growing outbreak with mounting deaths, already the third largest on record, and threatening to grow much larger.

This newsletter has focused on the background: the conflict, the mining economy, and the displacement that shape the setting of the outbreak. Future updates will provide more details about the outbreak response and how it can be successful.

References:

  1. Council on Foreign Relations, Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Global Conflict Tracker. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo 
  2. C.A. Irenge et al., Participative epidemiology and prevention pathway of health risks associated with artisanal mines in Luhihi area, DR Congo, BMC Public Health, 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9847162  
  3. ActionAid, ‘A double tragedy’: displaced families battling Ebola and conflict in the DRC, 29 June 2026. https://actionaid.org/news/2026/double-tragedy-actionaid-hears-displaced-families-battling-ebola-and-conflict-drc
  4. UN OCHA, RD Congo: Situation humanitaire dans la province de l’Ituri — rapport de situation #6, 15 June 2026. https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/democratic-republic-congo/rd-congo-situation-humanitaire-dans-la-province-de-lituri-rapport-de-situation-6-15-juin-2026 
  5. UN OCHA, Province d’Ituri : Cartographie des sites de personnes déplacées internes (PDI) dans les zones affectées par la maladie à virus Ebola au 10 juin 2026. https://www.unocha.org/publications/map/democratic-republic-congo/republique-democratique-du-congo-province-dituri-cartographie-des-sites-de-personnes-deplacees-internes-pdi-dans-les-zones-affectees-par-la-maladie-virus-ebola-au-10-juin-2026  
  6. IOM, Displacement Tracking Matrix — DRC / Ituri displacement data. https://dtm.iom.int/democratic-republic-congo
  7. ReliefWeb, Displaced by community violence, living in dire conditions in Ituri province. https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/displaced-community-violence-living-dire-conditions-ituri-province
  8. Reuters, Ebola outbreak spreads to crowded displacement camp in Congo, 12 June 2026. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ebola-outbreak-spreads-crowded-displacement-camp-congo-2026-06-12/ 
  9. UNHCR, Preparedness and Response — Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease), June–November 2026. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/unhcr-ebola-preparedness-response-plan-june-november-2026.pdf
  10. Associated Press, Congo Ebola / Bunia (Bundibugyo). https://apnews.com/article/congo-ebola-bunia-bundibugyo-b978486055845beb5f2b2fa4cfb28192