South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Kinshasa on Thursday for a high-level African Union solidarity mission aimed at reinforcing continental support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s response to its latest Ebola outbreak. The visit underscores growing regional efforts to contain the virus, strengthen cross-border preparedness and mobilise political and financial backing for the response.
Travelling in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention and Response (PPPR), Ramaphosa is holding talks with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi to reaffirm the African Union’s collective support for the Congolese government and people.
According to the South African Presidency, the visit is intended to provide high-level political leadership for the continental response while reinforcing regional cooperation and cross-border preparedness against the spread of Ebola.
Ramaphosa is accompanied by South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Thandi Moraka.
Continental response gathers momentum
The African Union says the mission seeks to mobilise additional political, technical and financial commitments from member states and international partners to strengthen the Ebola response.
Beyond containing the current outbreak, the initiative aims to improve Africa’s long-term public health systems and enhance the continent’s resilience to future pandemics.
As AU Champion for PPPR, Ramaphosa is tasked with providing political oversight of the Ebola response, promoting solidarity with affected countries and frontline health workers, and helping replenish the African Epidemic Fund.
Millions pledged for Ebola response
African Union member states have pledged more than $100 million to the African Epidemic Fund, while global governments and development partners have committed more than $910 million to support the Ebola response.
South Africa has announced a contribution of $13.5 million, reaffirming Pretoria’s commitment to strengthening regional health security.
A challenging outbreak
The current epidemic marks the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On 17 May, two days after Congolese authorities officially declared the outbreak, the World Health Organization classified the Bundibugyo strain outbreak—which has since spread into Uganda—as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The WHO has warned that the epidemic’s true scale may be underestimated due to its geographical expansion, high levels of population movement, fragile health systems, inadequate medical infrastructure and insecurity in conflict-affected areas. The absence of a licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain has further complicated response efforts.
Authorities urge calm
Despite growing international concern, Congolese authorities have sought to reassure the public that the situation remains under control.
Officials point to the country’s extensive experience in combating Ebola, noting that the DRC has successfully contained 16 previous outbreaks through coordinated national and international response efforts. They maintain that lessons learned from those crises continue to guide the current response as health authorities work to prevent further transmission.
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