WHO chief lands in Congo to address rare Ebola outbreak amid distrust and insecurity

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaks to the media upon his arrival at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. Samy Ntumba Shambuyi/AP hide caption toggle caption Samy Ntumba Shambuyi/AP KINSHASA, Congo — The head of the World Health Organization arrived in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, late Thursday to witness efforts against an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola virus, as medical personnel struggle with a lack of equipment, a distrustful population and armed groups in a volatile region. "To come here is to really show to the community that they're not alone," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the airport. "Pushing orders from my comfortable office in Geneva is easy, but I'm asking my colleagues to work with the community and I am asking communities to protect themselves," he added. Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri province, the heart of Congo's Ebola outbreak, on Thursday. The United States announced the same day $80 million in additional aid, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million. Health workers with scant supplies have been struggling to contain an outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a kind of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine. In some areas, doctors have resorted to wearing expired medical masks while treating suspected patients. …