The AFC/M23 rebel alliance has announced new restrictions on movement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as authorities seek to prevent Ebola from spreading into areas under the group’s control.
Under measures due to take effect on Saturday, shared taxis operating between Goma and Kirumba will be suspended for one month, according to a statement issued by the AFC/M23 administration late Wednesday.
Passenger pirogues will also be temporarily barred from operating on several routes across Lake Edward.
Larger taxi-buses will continue operating along the Goma-Kirumba route, while trucks transporting goods will also be allowed through, although both will be subject to additional health and safety screening.
The restrictions were introduced after two travellers from the government-controlled town of Lubero tested positive for Ebola in a village administered by M23, a member of the rebel authorities’ outbreak response team told Reuters.
The measures highlight the difficulties of containing the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak across a region divided by conflict and rival administrations.
The World Health Organization has described the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak as the largest ever recorded in Congo and the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak the country has faced.
As of August 12, Congo had recorded 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths across 54 health zones in six provinces, according to WHO. Cases have been reported in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo and Bas-Uélé.
Government figures released this week showed the total number of confirmed infections had since surpassed 5,000.
The outbreak is unfolding amid continued fighting and mass displacement in eastern Congo, conditions that health agencies say are complicating surveillance, contact tracing and access to treatment. WHO has also reported attacks on health facilities and significant disruption to response operations.
AFC/M23 controls large areas of North and South Kivu following a major offensive in early 2025 in which the group captured Goma and Bukavu, eastern Congo’s two largest cities.
The United Nations and Western governments accuse Rwanda of supporting M23, an allegation Kigali denies.
Since consolidating control over parts of eastern Congo, AFC/M23 has established its own administrative structures and has sought to present its response to the Ebola epidemic as evidence of its capacity to govern independently of authorities in Kinshasa.
The group declared areas under its control Ebola-free in late June, but the detection of the two infected travellers from Lubero has raised fresh concerns that continued movement between rival-controlled territories could reintroduce the virus.
WHO has warned that insecurity, displacement and extensive population movement remain among the biggest obstacles to bringing the outbreak under control.