Congo bans gatherings in areas far from Ebola outbreak. Some say it
limits dissent
[July 01, 2026]
By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and MONIKA PRONCZUK
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Opposition and civil society groups are
protesting Congo’s new ban on public demonstrations and mass gatherings
in the capital and other areas far from the country’s deadly Ebola
outbreak, alleging that the decision aims to limit freedom of speech.
The decision announced over the weekend came as the outbreak of a type
of Ebola with no approved treatment or vaccine continues to grow, with
1,307 people infected and 377 dead across three provinces in eastern
Congo. It could be the worst Ebola outbreak yet.
Congo’s ministry of interior on Saturday said gatherings and
demonstrations were forbidden in the provinces of Kinshasa, Tshopo,
Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele as fears grow about the outbreak spilling into
new areas. None of the provinces have any confirmed cases.
Separately, the mayor of Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city and now
under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, also banned
public gatherings and demonstrations, including celebrations linked to
sport events, on Monday. Congo is in its first World Cup in over half a
century.
Congo’s political opposition has denounced the ban as unconstitutional.
Prince Epenge, the spokesperson for the Lamuka coalition, has said the
ban aims to prevent a planned demonstration in the capital, Kinshasa,
early next month. The protest is against proposed constitutional changes
that would allow Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi to run for a third
term.
Civil society organizations also condemned the ban in a statement on
Monday, citing freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
In a televised address on Monday evening, Tshisekedi announced a $319
million response plan to the Ebola outbreak, and called on people to
respect health guidelines, report suspected cases and not give in to
misinformation. He did not directly address the bans.
“Ebola is neither a rumor nor a source of shame,” Tshisekedi said. “It
is a health emergency that demands responsibility, solidarity, and
truth.”
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Health workers tend to an Ebola patient at the Rwampara Treatment
Center in Ituri, Congo, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses
Sawasawa)
 Health workers have reported some
skepticism and attacks over Ebola from residents in the affected
areas of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Cases also have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, as well as one
in France in a doctor who returned from Congo.
The United Nations warned in a report on Tuesday that if the virus
spreads into other neighboring countries including Rwanda and
Angola, it could cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and result in
328,000 job losses.
More than a month into the outbreak, officials believe it continues
to outpace response efforts and no one knows its true scale. They
are yet to identify patient zero and struggle to trace contact
cases.
The World Health Organization has warned that violence from rebels
in eastern Congo is complicating the response to the outbreak. In
Ituri, attacks by the Islamic State group-backed Allied Democratic
Force have cut off access to many villages and forced people to flee
their homes, adding to already overcrowded camps of people displaced
by years of conflict.
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Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer
Janvier Barhahiga in Bukavu, Congo, contributed to this report.
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