Mourners bury DR Congo official killed after defending Ebola response

Marie-Celestin Karondwa died of his injuries after being beaten at his home in Butembo city, an Ebola hotspot, on Sunday.Published On 1 Oct 20261 Oct 2026Mourners have gathered in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to bury a local politician who his party said was beaten to death after he defended the government’s Ebola response on the radio.The funeral for Marie-Celestin Karondwa was held in the city of Butembo on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3DR Congo begins Ebola vaccination trials for frontline health workerslist 2 of 3DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones, WHO sayslist 3 of 3Ebola cases surpass 8,000 as DRC struggles to control outbreakend of listKarondwa was attacked on Sunday at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in North Kivu province, according to his political party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDSP), which leads the DRC government. He died of his injuries at a local hospital.“They beat him up and then set the house on fire,” his granddaughter, Sagesse Kavira, told The Associated Press news agency at the funeral.The party said Karondwa was “an innocent victim for having defended the party’s posi...