DRC opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba’s ally Jean-Marc Kabund killed in Kinshasa after criticizing government’s Ebola response

KINSHASA, BUTEMBO, BENI (DR CONGO), 29 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

A senior member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) was beaten to death on Sunday after taking part in a radio programme that promoted Ebola‑prevention measures, the party said.

Marie‑Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the UDPS federal executive committee in the city of Butembo – a newly identified hotspot for the outbreak – was attacked, robbed and his house set alight, according to a statement from the UDPS federation in the city. The party added that Karondwa later died from his injuries.

The statement said the attackers “beat Karondwa, stole his belongings and set his house on fire” and described him as “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 party did not identify the assailants, the number of people involved or a motive.

Karondwa’s killing follows a spate of attacks on health workers and treatment centres that experts attribute to rumours, misinformation and distrust of responders. On Saturday, armed men assaulted a hand‑washing checkpoint in the nearby Beni territory, killing at least one person and wounding several others, a local civil‑society group reported.

The outbreak, first announced on 15 May, is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved treatment or vaccine exists. The DRC health ministry reports 8,067 infections and 3,901 deaths across seven provinces, making it the deadliest Ebola episode in the country’s history and the second‑largest globally after the 2014‑16 West African epidemic that claimed more than 11,000 lives.

Data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention show the current outbreak has already outpaced the West African crisis, and the World Health Organization warned last month that it was on track to surpass that epidemic. Experts say the spread has been intensified by conflict, aid cuts and the ongoing attacks on health personnel and facilities.

The incident shows the heightened security risks facing public‑health officials in the DRC and raises concerns for neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, about the potential for cross‑border health threats and the need for disease‑surveillance cooperation. The UDPS has called for an investigation into Karondwa’s death and for stronger protection of those who disseminate health information.