The European Union’s crisis management commissioner has called for a ceasefire between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, saying the need for peace has become even more urgent with the spread of the Ebola outbreak.
"A ceasefire was already a political necessity. Now t has become a health emergency," Hadja Lahbib, EU commissioner for crisis management, told journalists on a visit Sunday to DRC’s eastern Ituri province, the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency, and the virus continues to spread across central Africa, with nearly 500 confirmed cases.
Efforts to contain the spread have been complicated by the ongoing conflict between the Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. Violence has displaced large numbers of people, forcing them to leave their homes, and disrupting access to healthcare.
Lahbib said a recent humanitarian airlift delivered almost 100 tonnes of emergency supplies, including medicines, tents and protective equipment. Five additional flights are scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks to Bunia airport, a key logistics hub.
Speaking during a visit to a new treatment centre near Nyakunde, Lahbib said her presence was intended to demonstrate solidarity with the affected communities, "not only through the supplies we send or the emergency funding we provide, but also by being present. This has an impact. It builds confidence".
Lahbib said that being there shows that she trusts the scientific evidence that shows that the virus is only transmissible under certain conditions.
"If we follow preventive measures, we can protect ourselves," she said.
The two-storey treatment has a capacity to treat 50 patients. It is currently treating are 27 or 28, according to the centre’s logistics director Mikael Di Marco.
It takes two to three days to confirm a case of Ebola, he said "but we are trying to accellerate things, notably by decentralising our laboratories".
A further 18 beds will be added to the facility, along with a day care for the children of patients undergoing treatment.
Lahbib also announced an additional €5 million in support, on top of the €15 million already disbursed for humanitarian assistance, to help deploy diagnostic centres in affected areas.
