Ebola workers threaten to suspend response in Ituri
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
Workers involved in the Ebola response in Rwampara, Bunia, and at the Kasenyi treatment centre are demanding payment of their allowances, some of which have been unpaid for 77 days. They are threatening to suspend their activities within 48 hours and denouncing irregularities in the payroll lists, Actualité.cd reports.
Workers involved in the Ebola response in Ituri are threatening to suspend their activities within 48 hours if their unpaid allowances are not settled, Actualité.cd reports. In Rwampara, in Bunia, they say they have been waiting 77 days for their allowances and communication expenses. Teams at the Ebola treatment centre in Kasenyi, in the Tchomia health zone, are also demanding payment of their arrears.
In a memorandum addressed to the Ituri governor’s office and health authorities, workers in Rwampara denounce alleged irregularities in the payroll lists, including names they consider fictitious. They are calling for a joint commission to verify the lists and oversee the distribution of funds. In Kasenyi, Congolese workers say they have not received their allowances for May, June, August and September 2026. They say their Ugandan colleagues working at the same centre are paid regularly.
An interruption at the two facilities could disrupt the response and patient care. The health authorities had not publicly reacted at the time of Actualité.cd’s report.
These threats come as a vaccine trial targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was announced in Ituri on 24 October, as part of the Ebola response in Ituri.