Unrest Grips Eastern D.R.C.

International aid has played a vital role in efforts to combat the tenth Ebola outbreak in the D.R.C. (USAID)

Violent dissatisfaction with local UN peacekeeping forces boiled over in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as local distrust of Ebola response workers and perceived inaction against armed groups provoked riots on November 25.

International humanitarian presence in the eastern region of the D.R.C. has been primarily focused on combating an Ebola outbreak, which has killed over 2,000 people since it was declared more than a year ago.

In addition to the presence of health workers, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) was established in 2010 for the purpose of protecting civilians and humanitarian workers. In addition, the group helps the Congolese government consolidate its power by limiting the activity of armed groups like the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which have wreaked havoc in the eastern half of the country. While MONUSCO and the health workers are separate entities, anger at MONUSCO has led to violence against the workers because they are perceived to be affiliated with the peacekeeping force.

The most recent episode of violence began in the city of Beni. Rioters set the town hall and local UN office aflame amid accusations that MONUSCO continues to stand by while the ADF raids towns and villages in the region.

In the confusion of this heightened unrest, three health workers died in the village of Biakato when machete-wielding attackers stormed their encampment in the middle of the night. The failure of MONUSCO forces to make the ten-minute trip across the town until three hours after the attack has drawn the ire of the World Health Organization and contributed to the withdrawal of health workers from the region.

The non-profit Doctors Without Borders (MSF) pulled their staff on December 4 after a group tried to break into one of their facilities. Likewise, several UNICEF staff have been relocated to Goma as a result of the increase in attacks.

Danger to health workers resulting from the political violence has threatened progress made against Ebola. However, humanitarian agencies remain hopeful that the situation can be recovered. Dr. Margaret Harris of WHO responded to the setbacks, saying, “we are working out how we can continue to stop Ebola. We cannot just walk away, and we have not just walked away.”

Harris attributed the violence in North Kivu and Ituri to “a constant narrative that Ebola isn't real and that it's being used as a means of earning money by elite groups within the society.” Local leaders like the Anglican bishop of Goma, Desire Mukanirwa, reject that narrative, saying that “the problem isn’t that we don’t understand Ebola.” Instead, Mukanirwa blames local unrest on the perception that “[The Congolese] are being massacred by the ADF, and we don’t see MONUSCO. It would be better if they left for good.”