At least 161 people have been killed in the country’s Ebola-hit Ituri province in the past week alone following a resurgence of fighting between rival farming and herding communities, according to local officials.
UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch told a news conference: “Violence in north-eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reported to have displaced more than 300,000 people since early June.
“The situation in Ituri province has deteriorated since the middle of last week, with multiple attacks involving the Hema and Lendu groups.”
Mr Baloch warned the violence could sweep across large swathes of the province, following reports of killings, kidnappings and sexual violence against civilians.
A deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo has caused 2,168 infections since August 2018 (Image: John Wessels / Getty)
As scores flee violence at “this massive scale,” concerns are that more people will seek refuge in neighbouring Uganda, Mr Baloch continued, adding that the government was trying to bring the fighting under control.
A deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, which jumped the border to Uganda last week, has caused 2,168 infections since August 2018, including 1,449 deaths.
The viral disease spreads through contact with bodily fluids, causing haemorrhagic fever with severe vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.
Ituri province has accounted for roughly 10 per cent of cases and deaths so far, World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
Mr Jasarevic told the briefing: “We are always saying
