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The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has banned mass gatherings in the country's capital, Kinshasa, as well as in a number of provinces, namely Tshopo, Haut-Uele, and Bas-Uele, as an effort to avoid the spread of the Ebola virus.As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Tuesday, June 30, the Minister of the Interior of Congo, Jacquemain Shabani, in a circular from the ministry announced the decision on June 27, 2026 to the affected provincial governors.
Shabani explained that the restrictions were imposed because of the increased health risks associated with the spread of the Ebola virus in several parts of the country.However, the opposition considers the decision to be unconstitutional. They accuse the policy of being a "laboratory-engineered result" of the president's supporting party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress.The World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2026 classified the Ebola outbreak in Kongodan Uganda as an emergency that poses a risk to other countries. The organization assessed that a wider spread in the region was high risk.On Monday (29/6), the Ministry of Communication and Media Kongomengatakan the number of deaths due to the Ebola outbreak in the country reached 377 with 1,307 confirmed cases.