In a statement issued on August 16, 2026, the authorities said the outbreak is currently affecting six provinces, although its spread remains limited to 55 health zones.
The affected provinces are Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo. Among them, Ituri remains the province most affected by the outbreak.
Since the outbreak began, a total of 4,843 people have been confirmed to have contracted Ebola.
Of those, 777 people are currently in isolation or receiving treatment in health facilities, according to the latest update.
The death toll stands at 2,272, representing 46.9 percent of the confirmed cases. Meanwhile, 1,006 people have recovered from the disease.
Health authorities have continued efforts to identify and monitor people who may have been in contact with confirmed Ebola patients.
Contact tracing activities have so far reached 83.2 percent, as health teams continue surveillance in affected communities.
The authorities are also maintaining efforts to identify potential contacts and monitor them as part of measures aimed at containing the outbreak and preventing further transmission.
Ebola deaths account for 46.9% of confirmed cases in DR Congo.
“The most pressing challenges are still terrorism and cross-border crime,” Rwivanga said during an interview with The New Times’ The Context podcast.
The former Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) spokesperson, who took over as Director of the EASF in May, identified Al-Shabaab and other extremist groups among the threats facing the region, noting that insecurity along the eastern coast can disrupt the movement of goods and services.
Regional countries, he argued, need closer cooperation in areas including maritime security and cross-border policing to address threats that transcend national borders.
Testing operational readiness
The EASF has been conducting exercises and force verification missions to ensure member states can deploy the personnel and equipment they have pledged to the regional standby arrangement, Rwivanga explained.
Established in 2004, the EASF is one of the African Union’s five regional standby arrangements. It is mandated to support peace support operations, conflict prevention, crisis response and post-conflict reconstruction in Eastern Africa.
The organisation achieved full operational capability in 2014 after evaluating the forces pledged by member states, according to Rwivanga.
He stressed, however, that readiness is not a one-off process and requires regular exercises and verification.
“We have a checklist to verify the readiness of the forces such that when the need arises for us to engage these forces, we will prove that they are ready for integration,” he noted.
The EASF has conducted command-post, field-training and maritime exercises across member states to strengthen interoperability and ensure that different national forces can operate together.
Rwivanga spoke shortly after a force verification exercise in Uganda, where EASF officials were assessing the country’s pledged capabilities.
Similar verification exercises have been conducted in other member states and will continue as part of the organisation’s readiness programme, he added.
Beyond military threats
While military preparedness remains central to the EASF’s mandate, the organisation is broadening its focus to humanitarian assistance and disaster response, Rwivanga explained.
Member states are increasingly pledging capabilities that can be deployed during natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies.
Ethiopia has pledged C-130 aircraft for strategic airlift, while Rwanda has committed medical evacuation support and Kenya has pledged air reconnaissance capabilities. Uganda is also expected to contribute search-and-rescue capabilities.
These capabilities could allow the region to respond collectively when a crisis overwhelms the capacity of an individual country, Rwivanga noted.
He pointed to natural disasters and climate-related emergencies as threats that should form part of the region’s broader security preparedness.
“We should not just look at the enemy in the sense of rebel forces,” he said. “You should look at the enemy even within with climate-related issues that could easily spiral out of order.”
Reducing reliance on external support
Rwivanga also highlighted efforts by African countries to increase their financial contributions to continental peace and security initiatives.
Greater African funding, he maintained, would help reduce dependence on external partners and strengthen the region’s ability to respond to crises.
He pointed to increased contributions by Ethiopia and Kenya to the African Union’s peace and security architecture as an indication of growing African ownership.
“At least in our small but very determined way, we are ready to operate even without that external support,” he stated.
The EASF is also seeking greater support from its member states to strengthen its resources and operational capabilities, he added.
Cooperation against cross-border threats
Regional cooperation is essential because terrorism, organised crime and other security threats do not stop at national borders, Rwivanga observed.
He cited joint security engagements between Rwanda and Uganda, as well as Rwanda and Tanzania, as examples of countries working together to address cross-border insecurity.
“Working together helps to deal with all the grey areas, the blind spots along the border,” he said.
He called for stronger cooperation between regional organisations, arguing that economic integration and security cooperation are closely linked.
Disruptions to the movement of goods and services can affect economies on both sides of a border, making security cooperation important not only for defence but also for regional economic activity, he explained.
Ultimately, the EASF’s objective is to ensure that member states are prepared to respond collectively when a crisis emerges.
The organisation is seeking to become more cohesive and better prepared to address both traditional security threats and humanitarian emergencies across the region, Rwivanga stressed.
The former Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) spokesperson, who took over as Director of the EASF in May, identified Al-Shabaab and other extremist groups among the threats facing the region, noting that insecurity along the eastern coast can disrupt the movement of goods and services.
Authorities reported 62 new cases in the 24 hours leading up to August 13, 2026, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the outbreak to 4,727.
The outbreak continues to affect six provinces, with cases reported in 55 health zones as authorities step up efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The affected provinces are Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo. In Tshopo, another health zone has recently reported cases, bringing the total number of affected health zones in the province to seven.
Of the 4,727 confirmed cases, 749 people are currently in isolation or receiving treatment in health facilities.
Meanwhile, 976 patients have recovered from the disease, including 11 people who were declared recovered in recent days.
The 2,214 deaths represent a case fatality rate of 46.8 percent among confirmed cases.
Contact tracing efforts have reached 82.6 percent, with health authorities continuing to identify and monitor people who may have come into contact with confirmed Ebola patients.
Authorities are also maintaining surveillance and response measures in the affected areas as they work to detect new infections, trace contacts and prevent further transmission of the virus.
Ebola outbreak in DRC claimed more than 2,214 lives.
According to data from Congo’s public health institute seen by Reuters, 2,011 people have died, while 4,381 confirmed cases have been recorded across five provinces.
The outbreak, Congo’s 17th, is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
Delayed detection, insecurity and strained health services have complicated efforts to trace contacts, isolate patients and contain transmission.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak, which has also spread to neighbouring Uganda, a public health emergency of international concern.
The speed of the outbreak has raised concern among health officials. Deaths doubled from 1,000 to more than 2,000 in less than a month, compared with more than 12 months during Congo’s 2018–2020 outbreak.
Community mistrust and resistance have also complicated containment efforts.
A total of 2,011 people have died, while 4,381 confirmed cases have been recorded across five provinces in DRC.
Speaking at a press conference in Bunia, capital of the eastern Ituri Province and the epicenter of the outbreak, WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi said genetic sequencing indicated that the virus had likely been circulating for months before the outbreak was detected.
The DRC officially declared outbreaks of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus on May 15.
According to the latest figures released by local authorities, the DRC had recorded 4,209 confirmed cases, including 1,916 deaths, as of Aug. 7. Cases have been reported in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces in the country’s east.
“We are chasing the virus. The virus is ahead of us,” Janabi said, pointing to the prolonged period during which transmission may have gone undetected.
Some infections during the early phase of the outbreak may have initially been attributed to other illnesses, including malaria and typhoid, contributing to delays in recognizing the extent of Ebola transmission, Janabi said, warning of prolonged undetected circulation.
He also noted that the virus is spreading faster than initially anticipated, while the current outbreak differs from previous outbreaks caused by the Bundibugyo virus in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012.
Meanwhile, the response teams are still detecting only a fraction of infections early enough, Janabi said, adding that around 60 to 70 percent of deaths were reported outside the treatment centers.
On Aug. 7, a WHO technical advisory group recommended that the Ervebo vaccine be prioritized for inclusion in a randomized clinical trial in the context of the ongoing outbreak.
Marie Roseline Belizaire, a WHO expert, said that research suggested the possibility of cross-protection, and discussions are underway on clinical studies to assess whether the vaccine could provide protection against the Bundibugyo virus in humans.
WHO Representative in the DRC Anne Ancia said that a large population in North Kivu got vaccinated with Ervebo during the country’s 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak.
Information showed that previously vaccinated health workers infected with the Bundibugyo virus during the current outbreak survived and appeared to develop milder illness, she said, suggesting a possible cross-protective effect that still needs to be confirmed through further studies.
Janabi said stronger community participation, earlier case detection, and decentralized treatment would be critical to changing the trajectory of the outbreak over the coming eight to 12 weeks.
The current outbreak is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. It is now the country’s largest on record and the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally, only behind the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.
Wiza Bondele, center, a health worker on the prevention and control team, seen at work in Ituri province, eastern Congo, Wednesday, Aug 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)
As of August 7, 2026, a total of 4,209 Ebola cases had been recorded, including 1,916 deaths, according to the latest figures released by INSP.
The report shows that 828 people had recovered from the disease, while 595 were either in isolation or receiving treatment at designated health facilities.
Ituri Province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 86.5% of all reported cases. Meanwhile, South Kivu Province has gone 72 days without recording a new Ebola case.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, although medical interventions are being tested.
The scale of the outbreak makes it one of the most serious Ebola outbreaks recorded in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976.
The WHO reported on July 30 that the number of cases in the current outbreak had already surpassed the total recorded during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak.
The 2018–2020 outbreak recorded 3,481 cases and claimed 2,299 lives.
1,916 people have died from Bundibugyo Ebola in DRC
In a statement issued on Friday, the ICRC said the operation took place between August 6 and 7 at the request of the parties and in line with the Doha Mechanism they signed in September 2025.
According to the humanitarian organisation, the 15 individuals voluntarily agreed to take part in the transfer.
They departed Beni in North Kivu on the evening of August 6 and travelled through Uganda, which facilitated their passage, before arriving in Rutshuru Territory on August 7, where they were handed over to AFC/M23.
The ICRC said the operation was conducted in coordination with health authorities and under strict Ebola prevention measures, including the deployment of a Uganda Red Cross ambulance to respond to any medical emergencies.
“We hope that this operation will bring some comfort to families who have been separated from their loved ones for so long and that it will pave the way for further detainee release operations, as agreed by the parties during various negotiations, bringing hope to populations affected by the armed conflicts,” said Stephanie Eller, the ICRC’s Head of Operations in Kinshasa.
Under the Doha Process, the ICRC is acting as a neutral intermediary in response to requests from the parties, in particular regarding the safe transport and handover of detainees.
The latest operation follows an earlier humanitarian mission in May 2025, when the ICRC accompanied convoys carrying several hundred disarmed members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), the Congolese National Police, and their families from Goma to Kinshasa.
In a judgment delivered at the Malindi High Court on Friday, Justice Mugure Thande declared that holding the next presidential election on any date other than the second Tuesday of August 2026 would contravene constitutional provisions governing the election cycle.
The judge, however, suspended the implementation of the ruling until after the 2027 General Election, allowing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to proceed with preparations for the planned polls.
Justice Thande ruled that the Constitution requires presidential elections to be held in the fifth year after an election, not after the completion of a full five-year presidential term.
She said the interpretation of Article 136(2)(a) of the Constitution means the next presidential election should have taken place on the second Tuesday of August 2026, which falls within the fifth year after the August 2022 presidential election.
“The correct interpretation of Article 136(2)(a) of the Constitution is that the second Tuesday in the fifth year before the next presidential election must mean August 11, 2026,” the judge ruled.
The court also found that the Constitution does not guarantee the President a fixed five-year term, stating that the timing of elections takes precedence over the length of the presidential tenure.
The ruling followed a petition challenging the date set for Kenya’s next General Election, with petitioners arguing that the Constitution required the polls to be held in 2026.
While the court agreed with the petitioners’ interpretation, it suspended the declaration that the 2027 election date would be invalid, citing concerns that overturning the current election schedule could create uncertainty and instability.
The decision means Kenya’s 2027 elections will proceed as planned, despite the court’s finding that the Constitution would have required an earlier election date.
William Ruto took the oath of office as Kenya’s fifth President on September 13, 2022. He is among candidates who have declared interest in running for the presidency in the next election.
The individuals, who were transferred from prisons in Kinshasa to Beni in North Kivu Province, have spent more than a month awaiting their handover to AFC/M23.
The planned transfer is part of the implementation of a deal signed in Doha, Qatar, under which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was designated to facilitate the exchange and transfer of prisoners of war held by both AFC/M23 and the Congolese government.
The ICRC was not involved in the movement of the AFC/M23 members from Kinshasa to Beni, but is expected to oversee their transfer from Beni to areas controlled by the alliance.
The DRC government has confirmed that the individuals were relocated to Beni, saying delays in transferring them to AFC/M23-controlled areas were due to health concerns.
Parts of North Kivu under government control have been affected by an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a situation that has led AFC/M23 to strengthen security measures around the transfer process.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preparing to release 15 individuals linked to the AFC/M23 alliance, with the exception of those who have been sentenced to death.
As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 percent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.
The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country’s east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.
The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
The outbreak has also taken a growing toll on health workers, with 151 infections and 44 deaths reported so far, highlighting persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at health facilities, the WHO said.
The agency warned that insecurity, population displacement, high mobility and cross-border movements were hampering surveillance and response operations, raising the risk of further spread.
The outbreak is unfolding in conflict-affected areas where access to health care, clean water, food and shelter remains limited. Attacks on health facilities have restricted access for response teams and increased the risk of transmission going undetected.
Assessing the risk within the DRC as “very high,” the WHO said a substantial expansion of surveillance, testing, clinical care, infection control, community engagement and logistics was needed to get ahead of the outbreak.
The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
