African Union convenes emergency summit on Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda

African Union heads of state and government met by videoconference on 16 June 2026, chaired by Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, to coordinate the response to the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

As of 15 June 2026 the outbreak accounted for 827 confirmed cases and 194 deaths: 808 cases and 192 deaths in the DRC (primarily Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu) and 19 cases with 2 deaths in Uganda. The summit highlighted rapid community transmission, high mobility linked to mining, insecurity, limited contact tracing, and the absence of licensed vaccines as major challenges.

The African Union called for humanitarian access corridors, a seven‑day operational surge to boost case investigation, treatment capacity, safe burials and risk communication, and pledged fast, flexible financing. The DRC announced a $50 million contribution and Uganda $5 million; African Member States pledged $80 million toward a $100 million target, part of an overall $518 million joint response plan backed by $910 million in pledges.