A nurse working in the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was killed by protesters in Bafwasende, a rural town in Tshopo province, on Saturday 24 October, UN News reported on 26 October. The nurse was responding to an Ebola alert. The next day, a health centre in Kisangani, the provincial capital, was looted, according to local sources quoted in the UN noon briefing.
What the UN said
UN News reported that a health worker was also severely injured in the Bafwasende attack and remains in hospital. The UN noon briefing on 26 October said the killing was confirmed by national authorities, that the nurse was reportedly attacked by protesters, and that a school principal involved in the response was also seriously injured.
Julien Harneis, the UN Senior Ebola Response Coordinator, said: "I strongly condemn this attack and call for a thorough investigation." He added: "I urge communities to protect health workers and allow them to carry out their work safely".
The noon briefing also said that on 25 October a health centre in the Mangobo Health Zone in Kisangani was looted, according to local sources. A health worker was reportedly assaulted and held against his will before being released, and medical supplies and equipment were stolen. The UN said the incidents show how violence and mistrust can undermine the Ebola response.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine, was declared on 15 May. UN News, citing WHO figures, reported more than 9,760 cases and some 4,727 deaths in the DRC, across eight provinces: Bas-UƩlƩ, Haut-UƩlƩ, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Sud Ubangi, Tshopo and Nord-Ubangi.
What the FCDO says
The FCDO last changed its DRC advice on 8 October, adding guidance about the Ebola outbreak. It advises against all but essential travel to Bangoka International Airport, Kisangani, because of multiple drone attacks in the area of the airport. Its advice does not mention the Bafwasende killing or attacks on health workers.
What is not in the record
Neither UN source says who organised the protest in Bafwasende or why the crowd turned on the response team. No source opened says anyone has been arrested or that an investigation has begun; Harneis calls for one. UN News says a health worker was also severely injured and remains in hospital; the noon briefing says a school principal involved in the response was also seriously injured. Neither source says whether these are the same person. The Kisangani looting rests on local sources quoted by the UN. No source links either incident to an armed group.
What it means for operators
These are Ops Con planning points, not UN or FCDO guidance.
Two incidents on consecutive days, one in a rural town and one in the provincial capital, show that hostility can reach response teams in Tshopo whether they are in the field or at a fixed health site. Teams supporting the response, or moving through affected areas for other work, should treat crowd hostility as a planning threat alongside the disease itself: know the local mood before arrival, keep community engagement and exit routes in the plan, and avoid being caught at a site when tension builds.
The FCDO's Kisangani note is about drone attacks near the airport, not about the Ebola response. The advice predates both incidents, so its lack of mention says nothing about the current risk.
