North Kivu

More than 1,900 children have lost one or both parents or caregivers to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the DRC, or have been separated from these loved ones, the UN Children's Fund UNICEF said on Tuesday.

Most of these boys and girls, 1,581 in total, are in Eturi province, the epicenter of the crisis, while 322 are in neighboring North Kivu.

However, these are only the children UNICEF knows about, as the figures cover only the areas where the agency works with social affairs teams.

Here's Halima Touamadou, UNICEF Communications Chief in the DRC, speaking to journalists in Geneva.

The number of recorded cases appears to have peaked in August, but that drop may be due to undetected spread in insecure areas.

The largest number of new cases are currently in the North Kivu province.

The outbreak was declared in May, but health authorities believe it began spreading in January.

The delay in detection was due in part to international disinvestment in global health, particularly the rapid dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, last year, when Trump took office.

We knew that on the day one of this outbreak, there were already cases in Congo, but also cases reported in Uganda next door.

Since then, Uganda has led a really efficient response and has been declared Ebola-free.

But with this case reported today in Kenya, it highlights the fact that if there is an outbreak, or multiple fires that are burning as they are particularly around North Kivu in Congo right now, the risk of onward transmission both locally, internationally and further abroad remains high and it's something that we need to remain vigilant about otherwise this outbreak is going to continue and the risk to the neighboring countries as well as those communities in Congo and countries further abroad remains high.

And Dr. Craig Spencer, if you can talk about the role of the dismantling of USAID, and what role USAID, the Agency for International Development, played, and what exactly the NSPS is, the National Special Pathogen Service.

Ituri province has carried most of the cases.

North Kivu is where it's growing, and seven provinces are affected.

From a Reuters investigation published Tuesday.

The threat of offshore treatment for exposed citizens and the 21-day policy have dramatically slowed the flow of American medical volunteers, increasing the strain on local doctors and weakening the overall response, 19 of the people said.

Three patients were recently discharged as cured, and the chief medical officer is urging people to come in early.

Urdu Point, carrying the Emirates news agency wire on a Doctors Without Borders warning issued Monday.

With new hotspots emerging every week, treatment capacity remains largely insufficient to meet needs, putting both patients and entire communities at greater risk, the organization said, warning that Ebola treatment facilities in North Kivu are operating at full capacity.

We mentioned North Kivu's share of cases yesterday.

The number of recorded cases appears to have peaked in August, but that drop may be due to undetected spread in insecure areas.

The largest number of new cases are currently in the North Kivu province, the outbreak was declared in May, but health authorities believe it began spreading in January.

The delay in detection was due in part to international disinvestment in global health, particularly the rapid dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, last year when Trump took office.

Earlier this week, tents at a displacement camp of 19,000 people were burned by soldiers looking for weapons.

We knew that on the day one of this outbreak, there were already cases in Congo, but also cases reported in Uganda next door.

Since then, Uganda has led a really efficient response and has been declared Ebola-free.

But with this case reported today in Kenya, it highlights the fact that if there is an outbreak... or multiple fires that are burning as they are particularly around North Kivu in Congo right now, the risk of onward transmission both locally, internationally, and further abroad remains high and it's something that we need to remain vigilant about.

Otherwise, this outbreak is going to continue and the risk to the neighboring countries as well as those communities in Congo and countries further abroad remains high.

The number of recorded cases appears to have peaked in August, but that drop may be due to undetected spread in insecure areas.

The largest number of new cases are currently in the North Kivu Province.

The outbreak was declared in May, but health authorities believe it began spreading in January.

The delay in detection was due in part to international disinvestment in global health, particularly the rapid dismantling of the US Agency for International Development, USAID, last year when Trump took office.

We knew that on the day one of this outbreak, there were already cases in Congo, but also, uh, cases reported in Uganda next door.

Since then, Uganda has led a really efficient response and has been declared Ebola-free.

But with this case reported today in Kenya, it highlights the fact that if there is an outbreak or multiple fires that are burning as they are, particularly around North Kivu in Congo right now, the risk of onward transmission, both locally, internationally, and further abroad, remains high, and it's something that we need to remain vigilant about.

Otherwise, this outbreak is going to continue, and the risk to the neighboring countries, as well as those communities in Congo and countries further abroad, remains high.

Amnesty International accused M23 rebels in eastern Congo of carrying out abuses and unlawful killings of miners while trafficking critical minerals to neighboring Rwanda in what it said could amount to war crimes.

The Rwanda-backed rebels controlled dozens of artisanal mines in Congo's eastern North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where tens of thousands of miners dig for minerals critical for much of the world's electronics, including mobile phones.

Amnesty International said in its report on Monday it interviewed 26 people to document the crimes allegedly committed from January 2025 to March 2026, particularly at a coltan mine near Rubaya in North Kivu and a gold mine in Lumera in South Kivu.

16 of the interviewees, including miners and civilians, said the M23 rebels or security guards at the rebel-controlled mines had tortured or mistreated them, the report said.

The rights watchdog said it documented abuses by the rebels that likely amounted to crimes under international law, including, quote, "summary killings," a term used to describe killings outside of any legal framework, as well as torture, arbitrary detention, forced labor, and pillage.

The Ebola outbreak is still spreading largely uncontrolled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and deaths have now surpassed 4,000.

While cases have slowed in parts of hard-hit Ituri province, they continue to grow rapidly elsewhere in eastern Congo, including in North Kivu.

Mobile labs have cut the time to diagnosis.

An Eastern DRC politician was killed in his home after publicly defending the government's response to the outbreak, and in another location, a transit center that housed patients was burned down.