Ebola treatment workers strike in DR Congo over unpaid wages amid worsening outbreak

Dozens of workers at an Ebola treatment center in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo launched a strike on Monday, protesting unpaid salaries and bonuses, adding fresh pressure to the country's rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak.The strike comes as Congo continues to battle an outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment. Health authorities confirmed last week that the outbreak has spread to two additional provinces.The protesting workers at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province—the epicenter of the outbreak—include epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers. They accuse authorities of failing to pay them for the past two months.The demonstrators shut down the treatment center, blocked access roads and burned tires outside the facility in protest."We don't know how it is possible to go unpaid for two months," one health worker said, adding that despite the protest, they do not want to abandon their ...

• 14 Jul 2026