The latest figures marked an increase from 933 confirmed cases and 245 deaths reported a day earlier, according to government data.

Growing concern has centered on Kigonze camp in Bunia, the epicenter of the outbreak, where at least 30 people have died since early May. Camp officials and humanitarian workers said the death rate was unprecedented and raised fears that Ebola may be spreading rapidly among displaced populations living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Kigonze hosts more than 15,000 residents and is located in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country’s confirmed Ebola infections. Eastern Congo is home to more than five million displaced people, many of whom have fled years of armed conflict and insecurity.

Camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi told Reuters that such a concentration of deaths had never previously been recorded at the site, which normally reports only a handful of deaths each month. Residents and aid workers described victims suffering symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, including fever, headaches and vomiting.

Health officials faced additional challenges because many families initially refused testing of both living patients and deceased relatives. Aid workers said resistance to medical intervention delayed efforts to determine the exact causes of death and complicated disease surveillance.

According to camp officials and humanitarian sources, samples collected from several victims tested positive for Ebola. Footage verified by Reuters showed health teams wearing protective suits disinfecting bodies and preparing coffins while grieving relatives gathered nearby.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, although officials said infections and deaths had begun earlier in the month.

Humanitarian organizations warned that deteriorating sanitation infrastructure and funding shortfalls may be contributing to the outbreak’s severity. Several aid agencies said reductions in international support for water, sanitation and hygiene programs have left vulnerable communities more exposed to infectious diseases.

United Nations data indicate that funding for water and sanitation services in Congo fell sharply between 2024 and 2025, while this year’s humanitarian appeal remains significantly underfunded. Aid groups said projects providing clean water access, handwashing facilities and public toilets have been scaled back or discontinued in several Ebola-affected regions.

Conditions inside Kigonze camp remain particularly challenging. Families often share cramped shelters, sanitation facilities are insufficient, and overflowing latrines have become a persistent problem, according to camp representatives and aid workers.

Humanitarian agencies noted that the United States has historically been one of the largest contributors to water and sanitation programs in Congo. However, several organizations reported that U.S.-funded projects serving displaced populations in Ebola-affected provinces have been reduced following recent funding cuts.

The worsening outbreak has heightened concerns among health officials that delayed testing, population displacement and inadequate sanitation could accelerate transmission in one of the world’s most vulnerable humanitarian settings.

Officials said Lebanon had not been informed of the details or timeline of the agreement, which includes a call for military operations to end across multiple fronts.

An official source said Lebanon was not aware of the specific terms of the ceasefire arrangement, while few details of the deal had been made public.

The conflict’s spillover into Lebanon has caused widespread displacement, with around 1.2 million people forced from their homes during the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah.

Municipal authorities in southern Lebanon urged residents to postpone returns, citing continued uncertainty over security conditions. Israel has said it will not withdraw troops from parts of southern Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would maintain security zones in southern Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, and warned that Israel would respond to any attacks linked to Iran.

Lebanon’s conflict escalated after Hezbollah began attacks against Israel in support of Tehran, drawing a major military response and causing extensive damage in southern areas.

The US-Iran agreement was announced after more than three months of conflict. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator between Washington and Tehran, said the deal called for an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.

In southern Lebanon, displaced residents expressed caution about returning. Some said they feared security conditions remained uncertain despite the diplomatic breakthrough.

The agreement’s implementation and further negotiations are expected to determine whether displaced communities can safely return to their homes.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that Sudan’s conflict had expanded and intensified, with armed groups increasingly using drones in attacks.

The UN rights office documented more than 1,000 civilian deaths linked to drone strikes between January and May 2026, Turk said.Sudan has been gripped by a prolonged conflict that has caused widespread displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.

The escalation of drone attacks has added another layer of danger for civilians caught between rival forces, as fighting continues across several parts of the country.

The UN has repeatedly raised concerns over the impact of the conflict on civilians and called for greater protection of non-combatants.

A neighbourhood around Lukianivska square in Kyiv has become a visible example of the damage caused by the continuing air war between Russia and Ukraine, with residents and local businesses attempting to continue daily routines among damaged buildings and reminders of repeated attacks.

The area, once known for busy streets, restaurants and commercial activity, has seen many buildings damaged by strikes. A nearby station and restaurant remain among the active parts of the neighbourhood, while a small market selling flowers and vegetables continues operating beneath damaged structures.

For some residents, the repeated attacks have added to fears already carried from other parts of Ukraine. Anastasiia Prymak, a 23-year-old product manager, moved to Kyiv from Nikopol two years ago after experiencing frequent bombardment there. She said recent attacks on Kyiv had brought back the same sense of insecurity.

Prymak described a drone strike on a nearby apartment building on 28 April. She said she initially thought she heard aircraft but realised that was unlikely because of the war. Looking outside, she saw an explosion on the roof of a building.She said the attacks had affected her mental health and that she had been diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder.

She described experiencing persistent anxiety and panic attacks.Prymak showed images from her apartment window showing a damaged building with flames coming from windows after a strike. She said that during one major attack her boyfriend took her to a shelter, where she prayed despite not being religious.

Following further strikes, she said she had considered leaving Kyiv for Lviv in western Ukraine. She described the damage around her neighbourhood as increasingly similar to scenes from destroyed areas of Ukraine and said she feared being seriously injured in an attack.The destruction in the area comes amid a broader escalation in long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is increasing attacks on urban areas, while Russian officials have indicated plans for more extensive strikes.The intensifying missile threat has raised concerns about Ukraine’s air defence capabilities.

Ukrainian officials have sought additional missile interceptors, including systems such as Patriot air defence units, as the country continues attempts to protect major cities from aerial attacks.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for increased support from European partners, including stronger air defence systems and long-range capabilities.

During meetings with leaders in London, he highlighted what he described as an urgent need to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to respond to missile and drone attacks.Despite the risks, some local businesses have returned.

Faina Polishchuk, who operates a flower stall near Lukianivska square, said many traders had come back, although customer numbers had declined.She said the latest major strike left many stallholders frightened and unwilling to return immediately. However, she added that selling flowers was her source of income and that she needed to continue working.Polishchuk said she watched the strike from her apartment window and felt the building shake.

She later went to a shelter, where another resident showed her images of the damage on a phone and told her that buildings were burning.She said she intended to remain in Kyiv despite the danger, though she acknowledged that worsening conditions could force her to leave for Vinnytsia, her original home city.

The neighbourhood’s damaged buildings and disrupted businesses reflect the wider challenge facing civilians in Kyiv as the war enters another phase of intensified aerial attacks. Residents continue adapting to air raid alarms, shelter routines and the uncertainty of whether another strike may follow.

The attack occurred in Rwampara, near the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri Province, where local youths stormed and burned parts of a treatment facility after a man believed to have died from Ebola was denied a traditional funeral, according to witnesses and police officials.

Authorities said the confrontation stemmed from public resistance to emergency burial protocols designed to prevent transmission of the highly contagious virus.

Under outbreak regulations, suspected Ebola victims must be buried by trained teams because bodies can remain infectious and contribute to further spread.Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of public security in Ituri Province, said relatives and friends of the deceased attempted to take the body home despite official restrictions. Police intervened but were unable to prevent the unrest.

Witnesses reported that aid workers evacuated the facility as protesters entered the center and set fire to equipment and structures. Humanitarian organization ALIMA, which operates at the site, later said calm had been restored and medical teams had resumed their work.

The incident highlights the growing challenges facing Congolese authorities and international aid agencies as they confront an outbreak that the World Health Organization has designated a public health emergency of international concern.Health officials reported 671 suspected cases and 160 suspected deaths across two provinces as of Thursday.

The outbreak has also crossed borders, with neighboring Uganda reporting cases, including at least one death.The WHO and regional health authorities have warned that the true scale of the outbreak is likely significantly larger than official figures indicate. Surveillance efforts are continuing as investigators seek to identify additional infections and trace transmission chains.

The outbreak is centered in Ituri Province, a region affected by chronic insecurity, weak healthcare infrastructure and large-scale population displacement. More than 920,000 internally displaced people are living in the province, according to United Nations estimates, complicating disease surveillance and response efforts.

Health experts say the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak presents additional challenges because no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available. Officials estimate it could take at least six to nine months before a vaccine becomes available.The virus has now spread beyond Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

On Thursday, authorities reported the first confirmed cases in South Kivu Province, including a death near the city of Bukavu, approximately 500 kilometers south of the outbreak’s center.The disease circulated undetected for weeks after the first known fatality in late April, partly because initial investigations focused on more common Ebola strains previously seen in the country.

Health authorities have yet to identify the outbreak’s first infected patient.The escalating crisis has begun to affect international travel and regional events. India and the African Union announced the postponement of the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled for next week in New Delhi, citing the evolving health situation in parts of Africa.

The United States has also imposed screening measures and travel restrictions for individuals recently arriving from affected countries.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and severe hemorrhagic symptoms.

Public health officials say rapid detection, isolation and community cooperation remain critical to containing the outbreak.