ActionAid is calling for an urgent, coordinated response to protect vulnerable populations already facing the devastating impacts of prolonged armed conflict, displacement and insecurity.
The Ebola outbreak in the conflict-affected Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) poses a severe threat to public health and community stability, ActionAid has warned. The organisation is calling for an urgent, coordinated response to protect vulnerable populations already facing the devastating impacts of prolonged armed conflict, displacement and insecurity.
Communities in eastern DRC are facing overlapping humanitarian crises, including ongoing violence, mass displacement, food insecurity and limited access to healthcare and essential services. Humanitarian organisations have warned that disease outbreaks in conflict settings can spread rapidly where healthcare systems are already under immense strain and access to affected communities is restricted.
Saani Yakubu, the Country Director of ActionAid DRC, said: “This outbreak threatens to exacerbate years of armed conflict that have already left women and children highly vulnerable to violence, displacement and school drop out.
“I am urging strong, coordinated action to halt the spread of the disease while safeguarding basic rights, education, and essential services. ActionAid is currently undertaking a needs assessment in Ituri province, where we have been implementing programmes for many years.”
Niki Ignatiou, Head of Women, Peace and Security at ActionAid UK, said: “In conflict settings, disease outbreaks do not happen in isolation. Women and girls are often the first to feel the impact of collapsing healthcare systems and disrupted community services, while also taking on increased caregiving responsibilities in extremely difficult and unsafe conditions.
“The international response must recognise that this is both a public health emergency and a protection crisis. Efforts to contain the outbreak must go hand in hand with protecting women’s rights, maintaining access to education and ensuring communities can safely access healthcare, information and humanitarian support. Local partners and women responders must be properly supported, because they are often the first to reach families with trusted, lifesaving information, care and protection, especially those in the hardest-to-reach communities."
ActionAid is currently carrying out a rapid needs assessment in Ituri province and working with local partners to monitor the evolving humanitarian situation and identify urgent community needs.
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Dr Saani Yakubu, Country Director of ActionAid DRC, based in Kinshasa, is available for interview.
To arrange, please contact the media team at uk.media@actionaid.org or on 07753 973 486
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