A first Ebola case has been confirmed in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an area currently under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.
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The confirmation was announced on Thursday by a spokesman for the armed group, who said tests had confirmed a new positive case in Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu.
Bukavu fell under M23 control in February 2025 after the militia seized several areas in the mineral-rich eastern region with Rwanda’s backing. The group has since established a parallel administration in areas under its control.
According to the M23 spokesman, the confirmed case involved a person who came from Kisangani, a major city in Tshopo province, where no case linked to the current outbreak had previously been recorded.
The development has raised fresh concerns over efforts to contain the outbreak, especially as the World Health Organisation has declared the latest Ebola outbreak an international health emergency.
The response to the outbreak has been complicated by the prolonged conflict in eastern DR Congo, including fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 militia. Although the armed group now controls parts of the region, it has not previously had to manage a serious epidemic such as Ebola.
Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past half-century.
The current outbreak, the 17th recorded in DR Congo, is already suspected to have caused 139 deaths out of about 600 probable cases.
Meanwhile, India and the African Union have postponed the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit, which had been scheduled to hold in New Delhi from May 28 to 31, following the outbreak.
India’s foreign ministry said both sides agreed to convene the summit at a later date in view of the emerging public health situation on the continent.
New Delhi said it remained ready to support efforts led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to address the health situation.
The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that the risk posed by the outbreak remains high in Central Africa but low globally, adding that the virus may have been spreading for months before detection.
Delhi’s international airport also issued a health advisory on Thursday for passengers arriving from DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
India said new dates for the summit would be announced later, while stressing the importance of continued cooperation in strengthening public health preparedness and response capacity across Africa.
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