3 min readAug 28, 2026 04:49 PM IST First published on: Aug 28, 2026 at 04:49 PM ISTWritten by Suchitra DuraiIn June this year, after a 52-year gap, the blue-clad Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) participated in the FIFA World Cup. Few would have realised the travails that the DRC football team would have undergone to reach this milestone. Since its independence from Belgium in 1960, it has witnessed political instability and civil strife and is one of the poorest countries in Africa.Since 2021, in eastern DRC, there has been a raging conflict between the M23, an armed rebel group, and government forces. The conflict has resulted in the death of thousands of civilians and displacement of more than 5 million people. Meanwhile, in mid-May 2026, a new and deadly strain of the Ebola virus, the Bundibugyo strain, emerged in the eastern Congolese provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, resulting in over 5,500 cases and over 2,600 deaths across six provinces in the last 100 days. While this is DRC’s 17th Ebola epidemic, it is the fastest-growing outbreak, with a fatality rate of around 48 per cent. It is also spreading to Uganda. Given that the virus does not yet have a licensed vaccine, it may surpass the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 that affected West Africa. More than 60 frontline health workers have died caring for the sick.AdvertisementMost of the deaths are happening outside of medical centres, indicating delayed detection. The epicentre, Ituri, has been in the conflict zone for decades, resulting in a neglected public health system. There is also mistrust and suspicion of health workers, particularly foreign health workers, who are viewed as representatives of an extractive and exploitative system. Frontline health workers have also been the target of attacks for being denied an opportunity to participate in funeral rites, which are suspected of being super-spreader events. On May 17, the WHO declared the situation to be a public health emergency of international concern and has stationed over 160 health experts in the DRC. The Africa CDC and partners have deployed experts to help in surveillance, established laboratories and treatment centres, and delivered essential supplies. NGOs and individual countries, including India, have contributed. But the global response, particularly that of the West, has been muted. The dismantling of USAID, the withdrawal of the US from the WHO, as well as donor fatigue, are all contributing factors.In late May, India supplied 45 tonnes of essential medical aid for distribution to eastern DRC. The supplies included diagnostics, therapeutics, infection prevention and control materials. In June, India also pledged $10 million at a virtual African Union (AU) summit. While much of India’s partnership has been at the governmental level, it might be useful to encourage triangular cooperation initiatives with the Indian private sector. Local capacities could be strengthened through training programmes for African medical professionals and biotechnologists in Indian R&D centres and vaccine manufacturing companies. As Covid-19 has shown, an epidemic anywhere could become a worldwide pandemic if the global community does not come together. For the campaign against Ebola to be successful in the DRC, the roadmap for peace will also have to roll out in tandem.The writer is former High Commissioner of India to Kenya and former Permanent Representative of India to the UN Environment Programme