CONGO EBOLA RESPONSE WORKERS PROTEST UNPAID WAGES AS OUTBREAK SPREADS

Some Ebola response workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have stopped work or protested over unpaid wages and poor compensation, raising concerns that a labour dispute could weaken containment efforts in the hardest-hit area of the outbreak. The Associated Press reported on July 8 that some health workers at the outbreak's epicentre in Ituri province had gone on strike after threatening to stop work over delayed payments. Reuters reported on July 9 that dozens of Ebola response workers protested outside three treatment centres in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, saying they had not been paid everything they were owed. Reuters said it was not immediately clear whether the Thursday protests had disrupted operations at the treatment centres, and quoted a Congolese health official as saying talks were underway with workers threatening to strike.

The protests took place outside three treatment centres in Bunia: the Centre Medical Evangelique, known as CME, Elikya and Salama, Reuters reported. Police dispersed one of the protests outside CME. The demonstrations came as the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak continues to spread through eastern Congo, with the latest government data cited by Reuters showing 1,759 infections and 600 confirmed deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15.

The workers' grievances were set out in a July 5 letter addressed to Ituri's governor and health officials, according to Reuters. In the letter, response workers said they had not been paid for services rendered since the outbreak was declared. They said the non-payment had created serious socio-economic hardship and undermined their living conditions. They also complained that compensation rates were too low relative to the risk and workload involved in responding to Ebola. The workers demanded higher daily allowances and called for the removal of income tax deductions, arguing that the allowances should be treated as bonuses rather than salaries.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged problems with what he called "the human resources pillar of the response," Reuters reported. Speaking to journalists in Bunia, Kamba specifically pointed to problems keeping payment lists accurate and updated. That detail matters because delayed or inaccurate personnel lists can slow the payment of workers even when money has been allocated. Africa CDC has provided Congo with about $2 million to support the Ebola response, according to Reuters. Wessam Mankoula, an Africa CDC official, said some of that money could be used for delayed payments to frontline health workers and said maintaining morale was important.

A strike or partial work stoppage can create serious containment risks in an Ebola outbreak. Ebola response depends on fast case detection, safe isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention, laboratory coordination, treatment-centre staffing, community outreach and safe burials. If even one part of that chain is weakened, patients may arrive late, contacts may go unmonitored, bodies may be handled unsafely or community trust may deteriorate further. AP reported that the aggrieved workers include health professionals, safety and security teams, community outreach workers and personnel involved in burying people who died from Ebola.

The outbreak was already under strain before the payment dispute escalated. The World Health Organization said this week that transmission of the rare Bundibugyo form of Ebola was continuing, Reuters reported. Reuters said the strain kills 30 percent to 50 percent of people infected and has no vaccine or cure. AP reported that some treatment centres were near full capacity and that insecurity, population movement and difficult working conditions were complicating the response. The Bundibugyo strain is less common than the Zaire strain involved in some earlier Ebola outbreaks, and available vaccine and treatment tools are more limited.

The labour dispute also intersects with wider safety concerns for health workers. AP reported that workers said they were operating with limited gear and facing attacks from angry residents as well as skepticism about the virus. In Ebola outbreaks, mistrust can become a direct operational hazard. Communities may resist testing, isolation, ambulance transport or safe burial rules if they believe the response is exploitative, unsafe or politically motivated.

The immediate questions are whether Congolese authorities and Africa CDC can resolve delayed payments, whether the workers return fully to duty, and whether treatment-centre operations, contact tracing or safe burial teams are disrupted. Updated case and death counts will also matter, especially if the outbreak continues to grow in Ituri or spreads further into neighbouring provinces or across borders.

Fact-check date: 11 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, World Health Organization and Africa CDC statements as reported by Reuters