Residents in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo set fire to an Ebola treatment centre in Ituri province after authorities prevented them from retrieving the body of a local man believed to have died from the virus, highlighting growing tensions between health officials and communities struggling to cope with the outbreak.
The attack occurred on Thursday in the town of Rwampara, where health workers have been attempting to contain the disease in a region marked by displacement, armed conflict and limited medical infrastructure.
Witnesses said a group of young men stormed the facility after officials refused to release the body for traditional funeral rites.
Police attempted to disperse the crowd but failed to stop the violence.
Aid workers were seen fleeing the centre as parts of the building and objects inside were set on fire.
Congolese authorities said the unrest reflected the difficulty of enforcing public health measures that conflict with local customs surrounding death and burial.
Because Ebola victims remain highly infectious after death, officials require all suspected victims to be buried by specialised teams using protective equipment.
Traditional funeral practices involving physical contact with the body are considered a major transmission risk.
Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi said families and friends wanted to take the body home despite regulations requiring controlled burials during the outbreak.
Humanitarian organisation ALIMA later confirmed calm had returned and aid teams had resumed operations at the centre.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, warning that violence and mistrust are undermining containment efforts.
Health officials say the outbreak has expanded beyond initial estimates, with nearly 600 suspected cases and 148 suspected deaths reported by the United Nations.
Cases have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, while authorities also reported the first infections in South Kivu province near the city of Bukavu.
Officials believe the virus circulated undetected for weeks before being correctly identified.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine or treatment is currently available.
International concern has also intensified, with India postponing the India-Africa Forum Summit and the United States imposing travel restrictions on people recently arriving from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.