Family and community members gathered in Butembo, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, for the funeral of Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a politician from the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), three days after he was beaten to death by unidentified assailants.
Footage filmed on Wednesday shows relatives and members of the community mourning over Karondwa’s coffin. The video also shows the scorched remains of his home, which the UDPS said was set on fire during the attack.
“We were deeply shaken by his death, because it was an unexpected loss,” Karondwa’s relative Muhindo Balibatangi said.
The motive for the September 27 killing remains unclear. The UDPS has linked the attack to Karondwa’s public support for measures to contain the Ebola outbreak.
Karondwa was acting president of the UDPS’s federal Permanent Electoral Commission in Butembo and a party communicator. Jean-Baptiste Katsongo, first federal vice-president of the UDPS in Butembo, said Karondwa’s remarks had ‘provoked’ young people.
“After investigation, we found that it was his speech on Radio Mwangaza, in which he urged the population to adopt preventative measures, particularly social distancing and handwashing, and not to question the existence of the disease,” Katsongo said.
“To the population still resisting the response, I urge them to be receptive to community leaders and the messages from healthcare providers, because Ebola is here,” he added.
The killing comes amid growing mistrust and misinformation surrounding efforts to contain the country’s Ebola outbreak, with attacks on health workers and response facilities reported in affected areas.
“Perhaps these are people who are not sufficiently informed – most of the time, difficulties arose when there was strong resistance,” Dr Kalima Nzanzu of Matanda Secondary Referral Hospital said.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 and is the DRC’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak. Figures published this week put the toll at 8,067 cases and 3,901 deaths.
Source: Viory
