Cuts in aid hamper Ebola response in eastern DRC

Ebola is spreading rapidly in parts of east Africa, suspected to have claimed at least 240 lives since the outbreak began in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month. Ituri is a mining hub and a conflict zone, with modest medical facilities and waves of displaced people forced into overcrowded camps; the virus has already spread to other regions in eastern DRC and the Ugandan capital Kampala.

The response has been undermined by steep cuts to western humanitarian aid, which began with Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s gutting of USAID, leaving rapid-response infrastructure so stripped back that it is barely fit for purpose. US foreign assistance to the DRC has fallen from $1.4bn in 2024 to $21m so far this year, and Mercy Corps’ Selena Victor says the USAID cuts were devastating, noting the system took a long time to build but didn’t take long to dismantle.

Testing capacity is limited and symptoms resemble malaria or typhoid, so many more cases are suspected than official figures show.

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ituri province

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