DRC: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement condemns attacks on its volunteers and staff 

One hundred days after the official declaration of the Ebola outbreak, 12 volunteers have been injured, ambulances have been damaged - including one that was set on fire - and emergency response equipment has been destroyed during 11 violent incidents.

On 19 August 2026, in Beni, North Kivu Province, three volunteers participating in humanitarian activities as part of the response to the Ebola virus disease were violently attacked and injured by a group of individuals. Equipment used in the response was also destroyed. 

On 18 August 2026, two volunteers were also injured while attempting to conduct a safe and dignified burial in the village of Malikuti, in the Rungu health zone in Haut-Uélé. They were evacuated to Isiro to receive medical care following this incident, during which two vehicles were damaged.

Earlier, on 17 August 2026, a URCS convoy involved in the cross-border response was attacked in Aru, Ituri Province. One team member was seriously injured, and two ambulances belonging to the URCS were pelted with stones and vandalized. 

Attacks against volunteers and humanitarian personnel are unacceptable. Respect for humanitarian personnel and humanitarian activities is essential to ensuring that communities affected by epidemics and other crises continue to receive the assistance and services they urgently need.

These attacks serve as an alarming reminder of the risks faced by humanitarian workers and volunteers engaged in the fight against epidemics and emergencies. Every personnel injured and every ambulance, vehicle, or piece of equipment damaged reduces the capacity to provide emergency health and humanitarian services, putting more lives at risk and making the epidemic harder to contain.

The CRRDC, the URCS, the ICRC, and the IFRC stand in solidarity with the injured volunteers and staff, their families, and all Red Cross personnel mobilized in the response. We wish the injured personnel a full and speedy recovery.

We call on communities, local leaders, and all relevant stakeholders to support, respect, and protect humanitarian action. Volunteers, health workers, and humanitarian staff must be able to carry out their work in complete safety, without fear of violence, intimidation, or threats.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement remains fully committed to supporting vulnerable communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and will continue its efforts to provide impartial humanitarian assistance to all those in need.