Ebola treatment center set on fire by locals after they were forbidden to retrieve the body of a young man killed by the disease

In the town of Rwampara, located in the center of the Ebola epidemic hotspot in eastern Congo, locals set fire to a treatment center after they were prevented from retrieving the body of a man suspected to have died from the virus.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of rising fear and discontent regarding the strict measures imposed by authorities to control the epidemic. The bodies of individuals who have died from Ebola are extremely contagious, and authorities have prohibited their burial by families. Angry young locals set the center on fire, and the police failed to calm the situation.

The Ebola epidemic has led to 160 suspected deaths and 671 cases in two provinces, and the World Health Organization has warned that the situation could be worse than indicated by official figures. Additionally, the healthcare infrastructure in the region is weakened by armed conflicts and reduced international aid, complicating crisis management efforts.