Ebola Crisis: Second Doctors Without Borders Clinic Attacked in Congo
TERRIBLE
The charity called the latest attack, in Butembo, “deplorable.”
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
A second Ebola clinic operated by Doctors Without Borders in the Democratic Republic of Congo has come under attack in less than a week, the aid group said Wednesday. Congo, which is wracked by civil war, is in the midst of a major outbreak, with more than 800 people infected with the hemorrhagic fever, 500 of them dead. But locals are distrustful from outside medical responders trying to stem the spread of the virus and save lives. On Sunday night, unidentified attackers pelted a clinic in Katwa with stones and then set it ablaze. Doctors Without Borders, which is known as Médecins Sans Frontières abroad, called the Wednesday attack on a treatment center in Butembo “deplorable” but provided scant detail. “This attack has not only put the lives of Ebola patients and their families in danger, but also those of MSF and Ministry of Health staff,” it said in a statement. “Our efforts are currently focused on the immediate safety of both staff and patients.” The motive for the attacks is unclear but officials from the group said it was clear that medical responders “have failed to gain the trust of a significant part of the population.”
