The Red Cross on Friday denounced an attack perpetrated against its volunteers earlier this week during a funeral in the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The attack took place on Monday in Bunia, in northeastern DRC, injuring several people as they carried out a "safe and dignified burial," the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a statement.
"We condemn this unacceptable act and express our solidarity and support for the affected volunteers and their families," the statement added, signed on behalf of the IFRC, the Red Cross of the DRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Attacks against volunteers not only endanger lives, but they also undermine efforts to contain the epidemic and protect communities."
The Kinshasa government declared on May 15 an epidemic of the Bundibugyo strain of this deadly hemorrhagic fever.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment, and according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, 381 cases, including 64 deaths, have been recorded in the DRC alone.
The Ebola virus is currently present in three northeastern provinces of the DRC, as well as in neighbouring Uganda, where 19 cases have been recorded, including two deaths.
In recent weeks, in Ituri province, of which Bunia is the capital, empty medical tents have been set on fire and members of local communities have stormed hospitals to demand the return of the bodies of Ebola victims.
Previous epidemics have led to mistrust between some residents and medical personnel.
The WHO and the African Union's public health agency, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, announced on Friday the launch of a joint $518 million plan to combat the epidemic.
