India and the African Union have postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled for next week in New Delhi amid concerns over the worsening Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, according to a joint statement released on Thursday.
The summit, originally planned from May 28 to May 31, was intended to bring together African leaders and Indian officials to discuss trade, investment, innovation, sustainability, digital technology and global governance.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the decision was taken after discussions over the “evolving health situation in parts of Africa” and the need to ensure the full participation of African leaders and stakeholders.
New dates for the summit are expected to be announced later.
The postponement comes as health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo battle a growing Ebola outbreak that has expanded into South Kivu province, an area controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group.
A spokesman for M23 said the first confirmed Ebola case in the region involved a 28-year-old man who had travelled from Kisangani in eastern Congo’s Tshopo province.
“The person concerned, a compatriot aged 28, unfortunately succumbed to the disease before the diagnosis was confirmed,” the spokesman said.
The case was identified in a rural area near Bukavu, a provincial capital that fell under M23 control in February 2025.
Health experts believe the outbreak circulated for nearly two months in Ituri province before being detected last week.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international emergency.
According to the WHO, around 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths have been recorded so far in what is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
Two confirmed cases have also been reported in neighboring Uganda.
Efforts to contain the outbreak have been complicated by ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo and shortages of medical supplies.
First responders have linked some supply shortages to foreign aid cuts by major international donors, including the United States.
M23 has said it is prepared to work with international partners to help contain the outbreak.