Kinshasa — In a grim testament to the catastrophic humanitarian conditions endured by the oppressed masses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the deadly Ebola virus has now breached the borders of a seventh province, South-Ubangi. The outbreak, which has already claimed thousands of lives in the country’s embattled east and northeast, is now encroaching upon vulnerable regions bordering the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville.
The so-called “international community” and its institutions have been quick to issue sterile statements of concern, yet the reality on the ground remains a harrowing reflection of decades of imperialist exploitation and deliberate destabilisation. South-Ubangi’s acting governor, Jean-Rene Galekwa, confirmed the emergence of the highly infectious virus after a patient, who had undertaken an arduous journey through multiple conflict-ravaged provinces, succumbed to the disease. This patient’s extensive route—from the capital of Tshopo province to Rwanda, Uganda, and the Ituri province, before traveling by boat down the Congo River—exposes the profound vulnerability of a nation where state presence is intentionally weak, and armed, foreign-backed proxy groups have roamed for decades.
Currently, thirty-eight individuals who came into contact with the deceased have been hastily placed in quarantine. However, the underlying tragedy of this outbreak is rooted in the criminal negligence of Western pharmaceutical conglomerates. The current epidemic is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. Unlike other strains, there is absolutely no approved vaccine or treatment in existence for Bundibugyo. While Western laboratories prioritise lucrative patents and treatments for ailments that afflict the Global North, the mustazafin (oppressed) of the Congo are once again relegated to being mere test subjects, with several experimental treatments currently being trialled amidst soaring death tolls.
Since its official detection in mid-May, this seventeenth Ebola outbreak to strike the Congo has killed at least 3,310 people out of 6,843 confirmed cases. The World Health Organisation (WHO), characterising it as the country’s fastest-growing outbreak, has admitted that the current response is woefully inadequate. Health officials have stated an urgent need for 5,000 additional healthcare workers to supplement the mere 4,000 currently operating in treatment centres, alongside plans to establish 3,000 beds.
Yet, these logistical appeals ring hollow against the backdrop of a nation whose vast mineral wealth continues to fuel the technological advancements and economies of the very Western powers that neglect its public health infrastructure. As the disease spreads along the Congo River, threatening the provinces of North-Ubangi and Mongala, the people of the Congo are left to confront a lethal pathogen with their bare hands, bearing the ultimate price of a world order that profits from their perpetual suffering.
Reference: Al-Mayadeen