The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has raised urgent concerns over the safety of a laboratory holding samples of the Ebola virus and other dangerous pathogens in Goma, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The lab, part of the national biomedical research institute, faces heightened risk due to ongoing conflict and potential power outages.
Patrick Youssef, ICRC’s regional director for Africa, emphasized the dire consequences of the fighting on the lab’s security during a briefing in Geneva. He warned of “unimaginable consequences” should the samples, including Ebola, escape due to the clashes. Youssef noted the lab’s proximity to the ICRC delegation in Goma but did not comment on the status of other facilities in the city.
The escalating violence stems from fighters of the Tutsi-led M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan forces, entering central Goma on Sunday after weeks of advances. The region, rich in minerals, has been plagued by armed conflicts fueled by regional rivalries since the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The humanitarian crisis in Goma is severe, with over half a million people displaced this year, adding to the city’s already significant burden of 700,000 internally displaced individuals. Goma, home to one million residents, is now under significant strain as the fighting intensifies.
ICRC has reported a “massive influx” of injured civilians into its supported facilities, including the CBCA Ndosho hospital. Since the start of January, more than 600 wounded individuals have received treatment, nearly half of whom are civilians, including many women and children.
Myriam Favier, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Goma, described the harrowing scenes of patients arriving with severe injuries. “Civilians are arriving seriously wounded by bullets or shrapnel,” she said, highlighting overcrowded hospitals where some patients are forced to lie on the floor due to lack of space.
Francois Moreillon, ICRC’s head of delegation for DR Congo, voiced the organization’s distress over the calls for help from people who are wounded and unable to access care.
The ICRC’s alarm over the safety of the Ebola lab underscores the dual threat posed by the conflict: a worsening humanitarian crisis and the catastrophic risk of a public health emergency should the pathogens escape containment. Immediate international attention is needed to safeguard the lab and address the unfolding tragedy in Goma.
