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Congolese politician is killed for defending Ebola efforts as mistrust complicates response
Family says he was beaten and his home was set ablaze after he defended Ebola measures on radio.
Mourners gathered Wednesday to bury Karondwa, a local UDPS official who was beaten to death at his Butembo home on Sunday after defending government Ebola response efforts on a radio program.
The attack illustrates deep-seated public mistrust hampering efforts to contain the 17th and deadliest Ebola outbreak, which has recorded over 8,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths across the Central African nation.
Sagesse Kavira, Karondwa's granddaughter, told The Associated Press, "They beat him up and then set the house alight" after he used radio broadcasts to encourage social distancing and handwashing.
UDPS first federal vice-president Jean-Baptiste Katsongo Lwatswa said the politician's radio appeals angered some residents, while health workers face skepticism and resistance in eastern Congo's conflict-plagued territories.
The World Health Organization warns the rare Bundibugyo virus lacks approved vaccines or treatments, though clinical trials for potential solutions are currently ongoing in Ituri province.