{"id":1790,"date":"2026-05-27T15:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/27\/who-chief-calls-for-drc-ceasefire-to-tackle-ebola-outbreak\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T15:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:39:47","slug":"who-chief-calls-for-drc-ceasefire-to-tackle-ebola-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1790","title":{"rendered":"WHO chief calls for DRC ceasefire to tackle Ebola outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"db1c1c7e-31fe-4e90-97be-89428cb732c3\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Three soldiers stand guard in the skeletal frame of a large burnt tent, with two intact tents behind\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/6d71bcab9a8e240ae722af07541fd0740dab93dc\/264_0_6610_5289\/master\/6610.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.07034795763997\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The remains of an Ebola isolation tent burned down by \u2018unidentified individuals\u2019 in Mongbwalu, DRC.<\/span> Photograph: Michel Lunanga\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"db1c1c7e-31fe-4e90-97be-89428cb732c3\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The remains of an Ebola isolation tent burned down by \u2018unidentified individuals\u2019 in Mongbwalu, DRC.<\/span> Photograph: Michel Lunanga\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">WHO chief calls for DRC ceasefire to tackle Ebola outbreak<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns of \u2018catastrophic collision of disease and conflict\u2019, with suspected cases at 900<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The head of the World Health Organization has called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/congo\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a> to help tackle the Ebola outbreak there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DrTedros\/status\/2059557343923167511\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">posted on social media<\/a> that the region was in the midst of a \u201ccatastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tedros said on Monday that he would travel to the DRC this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As of Sunday there had been 900 suspected cases and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DRC and seven confirmed cases and one death in Uganda, <a href=\"https:\/\/iris.who.int\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/4a06bc4f-6c0b-4c0d-925a-8a7b5a13299f\/content\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">WHO data<\/a> shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The outbreak was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/may\/15\/ebola-outbreak-drc-africa-deaths\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">confirmed on 15 May<\/a> in Ituri, the DRC\u2019s most north-eastern province, which borders South Sudan and Uganda.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Eastern DRC has a number of armed groups. Though the government still largely controls Ituri, insecurity had been worsening there before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ebola\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Ebola<\/a> outbreak. Almost 1 million people in the province have been displaced by conflict, according to the UN humanitarian office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The outbreak has spread south to rebel-held areas of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where the Rwandan-backed M23 group controls large swathes of the region.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"0b1c3789-d3de-44a3-bd72-4745e7e22d17\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Women wash their hands under temporary outdoor taps as staff in protective gear look on\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/229961935b5bb280e7f61f4e10f4896e70bbefff\/0_0_5771_3847\/master\/5771.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.640963437879\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"0b1c3789-d3de-44a3-bd72-4745e7e22d17\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A handwashing checkpoint in DRC\u2019s North Kivu province.<\/span> Photograph: Marie Jeanne Munyerenkana\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tedros said: \u201cStopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access. Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"a70af9db-423e-4220-8937-174f93fdd785\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-9 | 9\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ak3j0c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/17\/what-is-ebola-why-who-says-drc-uganda-outbreak-global-health-emergency\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">What is Ebola and why is WHO treating outbreak as global health emergency?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cFrontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible. We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling. We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The response to the outbreak has been complicated by the transient nature of many communities in Ituri, where goldmines attract migrant workers, as well as by international aid cuts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Philippe Guiton, the DRC director of the aid organisation World Vision, said: \u201cFor children, the risks are especially acute. Years of conflict have weakened community systems, and acute malnutrition has left many young bodies too fragile to withstand a virus as aggressive as Ebola.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The response has also been hindered by attacks on health facilities by people wanting authorities to release Ebola victims\u2019 bodies for burial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Traditionally, burials involve families washing and touching the body. However, the bodies of Ebola victims are highly contagious and have been a key vector for spreading the disease in previous outbreaks in the region.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"8690ba2c-8bbb-4eb1-bc78-850c4c2ec475\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A nurse places a thermometer to the head of a child in school uniform, with two other children lining up behind\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/822cedc4fcc96e29c27cc76ea133dfff3551c4e1\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"8690ba2c-8bbb-4eb1-bc78-850c4c2ec475\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A nurse checks pupils\u2019 temperatures at a school in Kampala, Uganda, on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Hajarah Nalwadda\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Saturday and Sunday, people attacked a hospital in Mongbwalu, in Ituri. Its medical director, Dr Richard Lokodu, told Reuters that 18 Ebola patients fled the facility on Saturday when \u201cunidentified individuals\u201d burned tents where patients were being isolated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Sunday, seven more patients fled and an individual suspected of having Ebola died haemorrhaging in the attempt, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In Uganda, all seven confirmed cases were reported in Kampala, the WHO said. They included a driver who had transported another case; a Congolese woman who had travelled to Uganda for medical care; a Congolese health worker who worked with other Congolese people seeking healthcare in Uganda; and two Ugandan health workers who had cared for an Ebola patient.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/congo\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/ebola\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Ebola<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/world-health-organization\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">World Health Organization<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=WHO%20chief%20calls%20for%20DRC%20ceasefire%20to%20tackle%20Ebola%20outbreak&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/27\/who-chief-tedros-calls-for-drc-ceasefire-ebola?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fmay%2F27%2Fwho-chief-tedros-calls-for-drc-ceasefire-ebola&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/may\/27\/who-chief-tedros-calls-for-drc-ceasefire-ebola\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The remains of an Ebola isolation tent burned down by \u2018unidentified individuals\u2019 in Mongbwalu, DRC. Photograph: Michel Lunanga\/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The remains of an Ebola isolation tent &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1790\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}