The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) raised serious alarms Thursday about the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), particularly in South Kivu province.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that the ongoing insecurity, combined with the suspension of U.S. funding, could turn DR Congo into the epicenter of a potential pandemic, threatening to spread beyond the province to neighboring countries.
"We're playing with fire," Kaseya said during a weekly virtual press briefing. "If the security situation isn't addressed, we risk a devastating outbreak."
Kaseya revealed that he had reached out to African heads of state, urging them to provide support, particularly in terms of security, to ensure humanitarian aid can reach those in need in South Kivu.
More than 7 million people have been displaced within DR Congo due to the ongoing conflict, which has lasted more than 20 years, according to the Congolese president.
The M23 rebels captured Goma last month and later advanced into Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
Kaseya said talks with the U.S. are ongoing to secure a pledged support of $385 million, down from $500 million before the suspension of aid.
"We received $4 million from China and South Korea, but this is insufficient compared to the resources pledged by the U.S.," Kaseya said, adding that on the sidelines of a recent African Union (AU) heads of state and government meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he engaged African billionaire Aliko Dangote and philanthropist Tony Elumelu to support a new financing initiative being established by the institution's committee.
"We are also targeting to ensure that Africa begins to manufacture its own cholera vaccines in 2025. For mpox vaccines, we will conclude ongoing talks with Bavarian Nordic in the next few days," he added.
Since Jan. 26, the conflict has resulted in over 3,000 deaths, nearly 3,000 injuries, and more than 500,000 new displacements, adding to the already 6.4 million displaced people, according to the U.N.
At least 20 peacekeepers, including 14 South Africans, have been killed in clashes between the M23 rebels and Congolese forces.
Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels and sending troops into eastern Congo to assist the rebels in their recent offensive. However, Kigali has repeatedly denied these allegations.
