San Francisco Frontiers - Congolese trapped between Ebola and armed violence

More than 70,000 people now live virtually under siege in the Plaine Savo camp for the displaced, a sprawl of tents in the savannah hills of Ituri province -- the epicentre of the country's 17th outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever

The muddy water source is only a short walk away, but Antoinette told AFP she no longer dares to go, fearing she could be raped or killed.

Sitting outside her tent, she braided one of her eight daughters' hair. She has spent seven months in this sea of makeshift shelters, which she calls an "open-air prison".

Ituri is one of the DRC's most unstable regions, where armed groups shape daily life. Rebels linked to the Islamic State group and local militias carry out frequent attacks.

Even collecting firewood carries risk. Outside, "you get killed or raped" by militiamen or Congolese soldiers, Antoinette told AFP, echoing fears shared by many residents interviewed.

Doctors Without Borders said it treats around 60 cases of sexual violence each week at the Plaine Savo site alone.

Eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict for more than three decades. In North and South Kivu provinces, the army is battling the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, which has seized large swathes of territory.

In South Kivu, violence has intensified since the Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15. Over the past month, hospitals supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross have treated 303 wounded people, 30 percent more than the previous month.

And the violence racking the region only makes it more difficult for struggling health workers to fight the spread of Ebola.

- 'No trust' -

In Plaine Savo, most displaced people are from the Hema ethnic group, caught in a long-running and often bloody conflict with the Lendu people.

One militia, Codeco, claims to defend Lendu interests, while a newer armed group, the CRP, linked to warlord Thomas Lubanga, claims to represent the Hema.

The violence has killed thousands of people since 2017, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers and troops from neighbouring Uganda.

The rise of the CRP in 2025 -- often likened by authorities to the M23 -- has reignited the cycle of violence.

The Congolese army, notorious for poor discipline, has launched operations against the group, at times alongside Codeco fighters, often at the expense of Hema civilians.

Soldiers "see the whole population as rebels -- that's the real problem," said local priest Dieudonne Dz'rodjo.

"There is no trust between the people and the army," he added, standing before three crosses marking past massacres.

The nearby village of Bule, devastated by fighting in February, now lies deserted, its buildings scarred by bullets and shellfire. Only soldiers remain.

In Plaine Savo, many displaced civilians also accuse those same soldiers -- tasked with restoring order -- of carrying out abuses around the camp.

- 'Like a virus' -

The government is largely absent from rural Ituri, and deep mistrust is undermining efforts to contain Ebola, aid workers say.

Health services are already stretched thin by the conflict.

"We don't have an ambulance, we don't have transport, not even a bike," said Aime Lojunga, a doctor whose clinic in Bule was displaced with the population to Plaine Savo.

Fataki hospital, which serves the area, has treated 119 people wounded by gunshots or machetes since February, according to doctor Dieudonne Mbusa.

Lendu are now the majority in the town, after many Hema fled.

Local Lendu leader Justin Goudza dismissed accusations against both Codeco fighters and the army.

The Congolese army "is loyal -- how could a loyalist force act against civilians?"

Instead, he blamed CRP fighters, whom he said could slip into camps "like a virus".

With nearly one million people crowded into camps across Ituri, aid groups warn of a looming humanitarian disaster if Ebola spreads further among these vulnerable populations.

L.Ramos--SFF