Marie‑Celestin Karondwa, the acting president of the UDPS federal executive committee in Butembo, was beaten to death by a group of local residents on Sunday night after a radio interview where he urged the public to observe Ebola‑preventive measures. The UDPS federation in Butembo said the attackers struck him, stripped his belongings, and set his house ablaze.
The tragedy comes as the North Kivu province has become a new hotspot in the ongoing Ebola outbreak that was officially declared on May 15, with 8,067 infections and 3,901 deaths reported by government data.
Earlier that week, armed men attacked a hand‑washing checkpoint in Beni territory, killing one person and wounding several others, according to a local civil‑society group. The mayor of Butembo has yet to comment, while the UDPS has condemned the violence and called for a swift investigation to restore public trust.
Officials are expected to convene a security review of health‑response teams and may consider deploying additional police presence at key checkpoints as the outbreak continues.
If the investigation fails to identify perpetrators, civil society groups warn that the cycle of violence could further erode confidence in the government’s Ebola countermeasures.