India Defers Africa Summit as Ebola Crisis Deepens
New Delhi-India and the African Union have postponed next week’s India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi following a worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as health authorities warned of rising regional risks linked to the rapidly spreading virus.
India’s foreign ministry said the two sides agreed to delay the summit, originally scheduled for May 28-31, citing the “emerging public health situation” across parts of Africa. The ministry said fresh dates for the gathering would be announced later.
The decision comes after the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo posed a high regional risk, although the threat remained low globally.
The WHO said the virus had likely been circulating undetected for months before the outbreak was officially declared last week.
The latest outbreak, the 17th recorded in Congo, has already been linked to 139 suspected deaths from roughly 600 probable cases, according to health authorities. Ebola, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
India said it stood ready to support Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention-led efforts aimed at containing the outbreak and strengthening public health response systems across the continent.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport issued a health advisory on Thursday for passengers arriving from Democratic Republic of Congo as well as neighboring Uganda and South Sudan, reflecting growing concern over cross-border transmission risks.
The India-Africa Forum Summit is one of New Delhi’s key diplomatic platforms for engagement with African nations, covering trade, development cooperation, infrastructure and strategic partnerships. The postponement marks a rare disruption to the high-level forum amid heightened global vigilance over infectious disease outbreaks.
