Central Africa’s Mobutu-era republic (1965–1997)
A UK-Oxford vaccine candidate has begun Phase I testing in healthy volunteers to assess safety and immune response. The work leverages the same technology as the Oxford–AstraZeneca Covid jab. Trials are planned in Africa with regional partners as the outbreak continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The DRC has recorded the largest-ever Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, with more than 5,600 confirmed cases and over 2,700 deaths, and international agencies are racing to respond. WHO and partners have allocated 70,000 Ervebo doses—20,000 for a Phase III trial and 50,000 for frontline workers—while CEPI has awarded up to $16.5m to advance a Minapharm Bundibugyo vaccine into early human trials. Uganda has received MBP134 antibody vials as a precautionary measure.
Since mid‑May the Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 5,600 Ebola cases and about 2,700 deaths; the outbreak has spread across six provinces and is covering an area larger than France. The UN and aid groups have warned infections are rising faster than the international response, funding is running short and frontline workers face attacks and heavy losses.
The DR Congo government and M23 rebels have agreed on a roadmap for peace talks, backed by international mediators, to implement the Doha Framework. A ceasefire verification mission is set to monitor violations as fighting persists in North and South Kivu, with concerns over sanctions, detainees and political reforms.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has expanded to two new zones—Biena and Manguredjipa—fueling a surge in cases and deaths as health workers face security challenges. Vaccination of frontline workers has begun with Ervebo, and the WHO warns the outbreak is out of control with cross-border risks rising.