Mourners in the eastern DR Congo city of Butembo on Monday buried Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a government official who died after being attacked at his home.
Karondwa sustained severe injuries in a beating at his residence on Sunday and later succumbed to those injuries, according to local reports. He had been publicly defending the local Ebola response prior to the attack.
Butembo has been described as a hotspot in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo, and health teams have been active in the area as they work to control the virus. Karondwa’s role brought him into contact with response efforts and with communities affected by the disease.
Mourners gathered to pay their respects at the funeral in Butembo. The death of an official involved in or associated with the Ebola response underscores the dangers faced by those working on the epidemic and comes amid heightened sensitivity around disease-control measures in the region.
The circumstances surrounding the beating and the identity of those responsible have not been detailed in the reports. Local authorities and health officials have been conducting response operations in the area as they continue efforts to contain the outbreak.