Six‑year‑old Ebola patient abducted in eastern DRC after armed men storm hospital

Mon Sep 07 2026 08:49:47 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A six‑year‑old girl and her mother were seized from a Butembo hospital, spotlighting mistrust and conflict amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak.

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, armed men stormed Wanamahika Hospital in Butembo and took a six‑year‑old Ebola patient and her mother. The abduction highlights deep mistrust toward healthcare facilities, a recurring theme amid the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. Similar incidents have already erupted in Mongbwalu and Rwampara, where protestors attacked hospitals, fired at police, and set isolation tents ablaze. With no vaccine for Bundibugyo yet available, the World Health Organization warns that conflict in the region worsens containment efforts. The outbreak, which has infected around 840 people and claimed nearly 200 deaths, remains concentrated in Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces.

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, armed men stormed Wanamahika Hospital in Butembo and took a six‑year‑old Ebola patient and her mother.

The incident occurred amid ongoing mistrust of health facilities, a recurring theme during the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. Police and public health officials were unable to prevent the abduction, which further illustrates the challenges of providing care in conflict‑affected regions.

This is not the first time a health centre has been attacked: earlier this month, crowds in Mongbwalu fired shots in the air over an attempt to retrieve bodies, while in Rwampara a candle‑lit crowd set fire to isolation tents that were blocking access to a body believed to have died of Ebola.

The outbreak remains geospatially concentrated in Ituri, North and South Kivu, where the M23 rebel group controls large areas. The WHO warns that ongoing conflict hampers containment, and a vaccine for this strain of Ebola is not yet available.

So far, the outbreak has confirmed 840 cases and 197 deaths, but authorities continue to search for the abducted child and her mother as they flee from medical care and potential contagion in the region.