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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Kinshasa

Head of State

President Félix Tshisekedi

Head of Government

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa

Congolese children wear face masks as they walk along a street in Bunia, Ituri province, on Wednesday as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak. Photo: Reuters

Africa

Ebola spreads in eastern Congo as contact tracing falters

Health workers have only been able to follow up with a fraction of contacts, and some thought to be infected have fled treatment centres.

1 hour ago

Africa

WHO raises risk assessment as DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads ‘rapidly’

22 May 2026 - 9:26PM

Africa

DR Congo police fire warning shots as protesters burn Ebola patient tents

22 May 2026 - 10:45AM

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong issues red travel alert for DR Congo as Ebola outbreak spreads

139 suspected deaths and 600 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise.

22 May 2026 - 12:04AM

A woman cries as Red Cross workers carry the bodies of Ebola victims from a health centre in the DR Congo. Photo: AP

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Despite low risk of Ebola, Hong Kong is vigilant and prepared

City never had Ebola and has no direct flights to affected cities. Still, traveller screenings are stepped up and the quarantine bay readied.

21 May 2026 - 7:15AM

Africa

Outbreak of rare Ebola strain sparks race to find vaccines and treatments

Doctors battling the deadly Bundibugyo strain in DR Congo will likely have to wait months for a vaccine.

20 May 2026 - 4:43PM

Singapore

Singapore, Japan, South Korea boost Ebola screening after WHO alert

Other Asian nations including Vietnam and Indonesia have also announced increased monitoring or public health measures at ports of entry.

20 May 2026 - 12:39PM

Aid workers set up an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, DR Congo, on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong steps up Ebola precautions, prepares Lantau Island quarantine facility

Centre for Health Protection prepares Penny’s Bay site and response plan, including tracing, as central Africa outbreak declared global emergency.

19 May 2026 - 10:25PM

Ebola virus

WHO warns of ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

Deaths and cases surge in eastern DR Congo as rare Ebola strain spreads.

19 May 2026 - 7:13PM

Africa

US to screen for Ebola at airports as American worker is infected

US implements airport screenings and suspends visa services following a WHO declaration over the deadly Ebola strain.

19 May 2026 - 1:14PM

A digitally colourised scanning electron micrograph depiction shows numerous filamentous Ebola virus particles in green, budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell in orange. Photo: NIAID via Reuters

Disease

Silent spread of rare and deadly Ebola strain exposes surveillance gaps

A four-week detection delay for the Bundibugyo variant has left dozens dead in DR Congo and triggered a global alert.

18 May 2026 - 11:26PM

Health workers in protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in 2019. Photo: AP

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong urged to trigger travel alert to DR Congo, Uganda amid Ebola outbreak

Infectious disease expert says more preventive measures necessary, noting frequent exchanges between mainland Chinese and central African cities.

18 May 2026 - 9:47PM

Africa

US citizens in DR Congo potentially exposed to Ebola, report says

CDC escalates its response to the latest deadly outbreak after the WHO declares an international emergency.

18 May 2026 - 5:31PM

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong ramps up health checks for travellers from Africa after Ebola outbreak

Move follows WHO declaring outbreak of deadly disease on continent a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.

17 May 2026 - 10:08PM

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of two countries affected by the latest Ebola outbreak. Photo: Xinhua

Ebola virus

Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda declared an international health emergency

The Bundibugyo strain, which killed more than 80 people, has no specific treatments or vaccines.

17 May 2026 - 8:12PM

A man is brought to a hospital following an Ebola outbreak in Bunia, DR Congo’s Ituri province, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Africa

Congo Ebola outbreak: constant burials as death toll reaches 80

Congo has experience in managing Ebola outbreaks but often faces logistical challenges to get expertise and supplies to affected regions.

16 May 2026 - 8:09PM

Africa

Africa calls multi-nation health meeting amid fatal Ebola outbreak

There have been 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far in the DRC, around five months after the last outbreak was declared over.

15 May 2026 - 7:02PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Hormuz crisis tarnishing copper production, raising costs, Chinese analysts say

China Minmetals Economic Research Institute says disruption of sulphur shipments through strait is having ripple effects on copper production.

14 May 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Imported sulphur is unloaded at a port in Nantong, Jiangsu province, in 2018. Photo: Reuters

China-Africa relations

Rare earth strategy provides ‘opportunities for Africa’ as US counters China

US racing to fund infrastructure in Africa to process and mine critical minerals as it lacks the capacity on home soil.

9 May 2026 - 5:59PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Why African leaders value seamless transcontinental links over US-China rivalry

Economic ambitions are the priority, says official with project that Washington has framed as de-risking mineral supply chains from Beijing.

4 May 2026 - 5:11PMvideocam

Climate change

Tropical forest loss still 11 football fields a minute – or Denmark per year

Researchers warn that fires fuelled by climate change are a dangerous new normal and could reverse gains made in tackling deforestation.

29 Apr 2026 - 9:35PMvideocam

An aerial picture shows iron ore mines at the foot of Mount Leuser National Park - a cornerstone of rainforest - in Aceh, Indonesia on April 9. Photo: EPA

United States

Taliban, Congo? Afghans stuck in Qatar who helped US war face more stress

After reports the US could send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US to the DRC, the Taliban urged them to instead head back to their homeland.

25 Apr 2026 - 11:25PMvideocam

A woman carries a child as they arrive in Qatar with other evacuees from Afghanistan in 2021, following the US withdrawal. Photo: AFP

Africa

Pope Leo denounces ‘colonisation’ of minerals on final leg of Africa tour

The pontiff warns that a global lust for profit ‘kills’ as he meets with a government accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

22 Apr 2026 - 2:49PM

Africa

DR Congo to receive third-country deportees from US under deal

Kinshasa to receive US-funded deportees as the Trump administration expands controversial migration agreements across Africa.

6 Apr 2026 - 11:21AM

China-Africa relations

China gains ground in DR Congo’s mining sector as Australian firm loses permits

Chinese firms emerge as preferred partners as African nations seek bigger returns on critical mineral extraction.

1 Apr 2026 - 2:00PM

Congolese Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba (left) and Chinese Minister of Natural Resources Guan Zhiou have signed a memorandum of understanding on “cooperation in the fields of geology and mineral resources”. Photo: Louis Watum Kabamba

China-EU relations

EU’s flagship Africa project under fire over ties to Chinese state-owned firms

Lawmakers demand to know where over US$2.3 billion in funds is going in venture meant to wean off Beijing’s critical minerals chokehold.

31 Mar 2026 - 11:48PMvideocam

Workers direct lorry traffic in Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

China will stockpile critical resources and boost energy supply security

Beijing boosts economic self-reliance and long-term stability as a matter of ‘national security’ while Middle East conflicts continue.

22 Mar 2026 - 6:58PM

China-Africa relations

China’s supply chain meets the wall of African resource nationalism

As resource-rich nations introduce export bans and other limits, analyst says investment may not automatically follow.

16 Mar 2026 - 6:13PMvideocam

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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Ebola spreads in eastern Congo as contact tracing falters

Health workers have only been able to follow up with a fraction of contacts, and some thought to be infected have fled treatment centres.

WHO raises risk assessment as DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads ‘rapidly’

DR Congo police fire warning shots as protesters burn Ebola patient tents

Hong Kong issues red travel alert for DR Congo as Ebola outbreak spreads

139 suspected deaths and 600 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Despite low risk of Ebola, Hong Kong is vigilant and prepared

City never had Ebola and has no direct flights to affected cities. Still, traveller screenings are stepped up and the quarantine bay readied.

Outbreak of rare Ebola strain sparks race to find vaccines and treatments

Doctors battling the deadly Bundibugyo strain in DR Congo will likely have to wait months for a vaccine.

Singapore, Japan, South Korea boost Ebola screening after WHO alert

Other Asian nations including Vietnam and Indonesia have also announced increased monitoring or public health measures at ports of entry.

Hong Kong steps up Ebola precautions, prepares Lantau Island quarantine facility

Centre for Health Protection prepares Penny’s Bay site and response plan, including tracing, as central Africa outbreak declared global emergency.

WHO warns of ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

Deaths and cases surge in eastern DR Congo as rare Ebola strain spreads.

US to screen for Ebola at airports as American worker is infected

US implements airport screenings and suspends visa services following a WHO declaration over the deadly Ebola strain.

Silent spread of rare and deadly Ebola strain exposes surveillance gaps

A four-week detection delay for the Bundibugyo variant has left dozens dead in DR Congo and triggered a global alert.

Hong Kong urged to trigger travel alert to DR Congo, Uganda amid Ebola outbreak

Infectious disease expert says more preventive measures necessary, noting frequent exchanges between mainland Chinese and central African cities.

US citizens in DR Congo potentially exposed to Ebola, report says

CDC escalates its response to the latest deadly outbreak after the WHO declares an international emergency.

Hong Kong ramps up health checks for travellers from Africa after Ebola outbreak

Move follows WHO declaring outbreak of deadly disease on continent a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.

Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda declared an international health emergency

The Bundibugyo strain, which killed more than 80 people, has no specific treatments or vaccines.

Congo Ebola outbreak: constant burials as death toll reaches 80

Congo has experience in managing Ebola outbreaks but often faces logistical challenges to get expertise and supplies to affected regions.

Africa calls multi-nation health meeting amid fatal Ebola outbreak

There have been 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far in the DRC, around five months after the last outbreak was declared over.

Hormuz crisis tarnishing copper production, raising costs, Chinese analysts say

China Minmetals Economic Research Institute says disruption of sulphur shipments through strait is having ripple effects on copper production.

Rare earth strategy provides ‘opportunities for Africa’ as US counters China

US racing to fund infrastructure in Africa to process and mine critical minerals as it lacks the capacity on home soil.

Why African leaders value seamless transcontinental links over US-China rivalry

Economic ambitions are the priority, says official with project that Washington has framed as de-risking mineral supply chains from Beijing.

Tropical forest loss still 11 football fields a minute – or Denmark per year

Researchers warn that fires fuelled by climate change are a dangerous new normal and could reverse gains made in tackling deforestation.

Taliban, Congo? Afghans stuck in Qatar who helped US war face more stress

After reports the US could send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US to the DRC, the Taliban urged them to instead head back to their homeland.

Pope Leo denounces ‘colonisation’ of minerals on final leg of Africa tour

The pontiff warns that a global lust for profit ‘kills’ as he meets with a government accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

DR Congo to receive third-country deportees from US under deal

Kinshasa to receive US-funded deportees as the Trump administration expands controversial migration agreements across Africa.

China gains ground in DR Congo’s mining sector as Australian firm loses permits

Chinese firms emerge as preferred partners as African nations seek bigger returns on critical mineral extraction.

EU’s flagship Africa project under fire over ties to Chinese state-owned firms

Lawmakers demand to know where over US$2.3 billion in funds is going in venture meant to wean off Beijing’s critical minerals chokehold.

China will stockpile critical resources and boost energy supply security

Beijing boosts economic self-reliance and long-term stability as a matter of ‘national security’ while Middle East conflicts continue.

China’s supply chain meets the wall of African resource nationalism

As resource-rich nations introduce export bans and other limits, analyst says investment may not automatically follow.

Editorial | Despite low risk of Ebola, Hong Kong is vigilant and prepared