DR Congo in May 2026: the most important developments in society
In the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2026, an Ebola outbreak dominated events. On 15 May health officials reported that a new outbreak had killed 65 people. On 17 May the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency of international concern for the DRC and Uganda; by then the rare strain had killed at least 87 people in the DRC, and a first case had been confirmed in the city of Goma. The outbreak is centred in eastern Congo, including Bunia and Ituri, and no vaccine exists for the strain. By 19 May the WHO voiced concern about the scale and speed of the spread, with over 500 suspected cases in the DRC and Uganda. On 21 May a first case was confirmed in South Kivu province, a new province, and health checks were tightened in Goma.
Governments imposed travel restrictions. On 18 May the United States banned travellers from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, and Bahrain suspended entry from the same three countries. On 27 May Uganda closed its border with Congo for four weeks. A US doctor who contracted Ebola in the DRC was flown to Germany for treatment around 20 May.
The response faced obstacles. On 21 May protesters set an Ebola treatment centre on fire, demanding the return of a body. On 27 May the WHO chief called for a ceasefire in the DRC to help tackle the outbreak. On 29 and 30 May he arrived in the country, saying the outbreak can be stopped, as the first aid shipment reached the Ituri region.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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