Congolese politician beaten to death after Ebola radio plea

A senior member of Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) ruling party was beaten to death after taking part in a radio programme to raise awareness of the Ebola outbreak, a party representative said on Monday.

The incident happened on Sunday in Butembo, North Kivu province, which has recently become a hotspot in the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the UDPS party’s federal executive committee in Butembo and a party spokesperson, was attacked by residents of his neighbourhood after appearing on a radio show on which he promoted Ebola prevention measures, the UDPS federation in Butembo said in a statement.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has infected 8,067 people and killed 3,901, according to government data released on Monday

The party said the attackers beat him, looted his belongings and set his house on fire.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, how many people were involved or what motivated it. But the party said Karondwa was “an innocent victim for having defended the party’s position on the existence of the Ebola virus disease and the threat it poses to the population”.

The mayor of Butembo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on Ebola response teams, underscoring persistent mistrust among the population.

On Saturday armed men attacked a hand-washing checkpoint in nearby Beni territory, killing at least one person and wounding several others, a local civil society group reported.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has infected 8,067 people and killed 3,901, according to government data released on Monday.