Congo Ebola response workers protest unpaid wages

Dozens of health workers in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo staged protests at Ebola treatment centres in Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu, demanding salaries and allowances that are nearly three months overdue. The demonstrators issued a letter to President Felix Tshisekedi warning that delayed payment threatens the continuation of the response effort. Police dispersed crowds in Mongbwalu and warning shots were fired after a helicopter was briefly blocked in Niania. The protests have led some staff to abandon facilities, raising concerns that the outbreak – with 3,802 infections and 1,707 deaths since mid‑May, the second‑largest on record – could spread further amid ongoing security incidents and community mistrust.