ADDIS ABABA: Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo updated the death toll from the Ebola outbreak to 204 late Saturday, hours after the Red Cross said three volunteers had died there and Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases. A health ministry statement said 204 deaths had been recorded in three provinces of the vast central African country, from 867 suspected cases. The last World Health Organization toll on Friday put the number of deaths at 177 from 750 suspected cases. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever an international emergency. On Saturday, the African Union&#39;s health agency warned that more countries on the continent were at risk of being affected by the Ebola virus, in addition to the DRC and Uganda. &quot;We have 10 countries at risk,&quot; said Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), listing Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia. Kaseya said &quot;high mobility and insecurity&quot; in the region were helping spread the disease. The new cases confirmed in Uganda on Saturday bring to five the total confirmed in the east African country since it was detected there and in the DRC on May 15. One person in Uganda has died. The health ministry named the new patients as a Ugandan driver, a Ugandan health worker and a woman from the DRC. All are alive. Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. The current epidemic centers on the conflict-wracked eastern DRC, where it was detected in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, before spreading to South Kivu. First known victimsThe Red Cross said on Saturday that three Congolese volunteers had died in Ituri after apparently contracting Ebola there. The three &quot;were carrying out dead body management activities on March 27 as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola&quot;, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). &quot;At the time of the intervention, the community was not aware of the Ebola virus disease outbreak... They are among the first known victims.&quot;Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half-century. On Friday,&nbsp;the WHO raised the risk from Ebola in the DRC to its highest level &ndash; &quot;very high&quot;. It said the risk in central Africa was &quot;high&quot; but the global risk remained &quot;low&quot;. The outbreak, which experts suspect was circulating under the radar for some time, is caused by the less common Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. On Thursday, Uganda suspended public transport to the DRC after confirming its first two cases &ndash; one infection and one death &ndash; involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border. It said the driver confirmed infected on Saturday had been at the wheel of the vehicle in which one of the ill Congolese nationals had travelled to Uganda.The health worker was exposed to the virus when treating that Congolese patient. The third case was a Congolese woman who had visited Uganda and tested positive for Ebola after returning to the DRC. &#39;Everyone&#39;s problem&#39;&nbsp;The eastern DRC has been plagued for three decades by conflict involving numerous armed groups. State services in rural areas of Ituri have been largely absent for decades. South Kivu is controlled by the Rwandan-backed armed group M23, which has never had to manage an epidemic like Ebola. &quot;This is everyone&#39;s problem,&quot; Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told a news conference in Addis Ababa alongside Kaseya. He said the Kinshasa government needed to have &quot;total control&quot; of the DRC territory to stop the virus spreading.

Africa

Health officials warn wider regional spread as new cases emerge in Uganda and deaths rise in Congo, prompting emergency response measures and concern across multiple African countries at risk of infection.

Ebola toll tops 200, other African countries seen at risk

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged a stronger United Nations (UN) peacekeeping role and the need for an immediate ceasefire in DRC Congo, said a press release shared by Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the UN on X on Friday. Pakistan voiced concern over the continued deterioration of the security situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that ongoing offensives and territorial expansion by AFC/M23 are undermining confidence in peace efforts and complicating implementation of MONUSCO&rsquo;s mandate, the statement said.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2037335349974671757&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=adfd6a342647e915de2db6184b35155c220c71ea&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2037335349974671757"></iframe></div></div>Addressing the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the DRC, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, underscored the urgency of stabilizing conditions on the ground and said MONUSCO remains relevant as an impartial presence capable of supporting peace efforts and strengthening protection of civilians in current circumstances. Ambassador Ahmad said that Pakistan remains particularly concerned about developments in North and South Kivu. Cessation of hostilitiesHe noted that despite commitments undertaken under the Doha Framework and the Washington Agreement, AFC/M23 continues its offensives and territorial gains. Pakistan stressed the need for full implementation of Security Council resolution 2773, including cessation of hostilities, M23&rsquo;s withdrawal from areas under its control, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. The statement further said that Pakistan took note of progress toward operationalizing ceasefire oversight and verification arrangements. &ldquo;This includes agreement on the terms of reference of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism and initial preparatory steps undertaken by MONUSCO, as mandated in resolution 2808,&rdquo; it added. However, the ambassador emphasized that an actual ceasefire has not yet taken hold on the ground. In this context, he supported the secretary-general&rsquo;s emphasis on a phased and conditions-based approach to MONUSCO&rsquo;s potential role in ceasefire monitoring.&nbsp;Security of peacekeepersAmbassador Ahmad said that prerequisites outlined by the Secretary-General&mdash;particularly those related to freedom of movement, access to key infrastructure, and the safety and security of peacekeepers&mdash;must be met for MONUSCO to perform any monitoring role meaningfully. He stressed that protecting peacekeepers must remain central to decisions on MONUSCO&rsquo;s posture. The Pakistan Permanent Representative also highlighted the operational impact of contingency planning cuts. He said that 2,674 troops, military experts, police personnel, and civilian staff were repatriated or downsized, and that of the 11,500 troops authorized by the Council, only 7,879 remain on the ground. He said reduced troop levels, civilian staffing, and intelligence and surveillance capabilities have adversely affected mandate delivery and increased risks for peacekeepers. He stressed that any additional responsibilities for MONUSCO, including potential ceasefire monitoring tasks, must be matched with commensurate resources and capabilities. Ambassador Ahmad said that MONUSCO&rsquo;s experience, logistical reach, and presence in key population centers remain critical, and expressed openness to a strengthened role for the Mission, including in South Kivu, once conditions permit. He also reaffirmed support for diplomatic efforts led by the African Union, alongside initiatives by Qatar, the United States, and the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, anchored in respect for the DRC&rsquo;s unity and sovereignty.

Foreign Affairs

Reaffirms support for diplomatic efforts led by the African Union, alongside initiatives by Qatar, the United States, and the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, anchored in respect for the DRC’s unity and sovereignty.

Articles tagged with "DRC Congo"

Ebola toll tops 200, other African countries seen at risk

Pakistan urges need for immediate ceasefire in DRC Congo

Ebola toll tops 200, other African countries seen at risk