Ramaphosa Urges Regional Unity as Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreaks Hit DRC and Uganda

Hundreds of people across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda are now confirmed infected with Ebola. The virus circulating in these outbreaks is the Bundibugyo strain, a particularly dangerous variant that has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare the situation a public health emergency of international concern. The cases are concentrated in Ituri Province in the DRC and in Kampala, Uganda—two cities separated by a porous border that sees constant movement of people, goods, and displaced populations fleeing conflict and insecurity.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking in his role as the African Union's Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, acknowledged the swift action taken by both governments in detecting and reporting the outbreaks. He praised their transparency and early intervention, recognizing that speed matters enormously when containing a disease with such a high fatality rate. But his statement carried an unmistakable warning: the real danger lies not in what has already been detected, but in what might spread across a region where borders are more concept than barrier. High population mobility, ongoing humanitarian displacement, and informal crossing points mean the virus has multiple pathways to move beyond the currently affected areas. "Ebola does not respect borders," Ramaphosa said, and in a region marked by insecurity and constant movement, that fact demands urgent, coordinated action.

The health workers responding to this crisis are operating under extraordinary strain. They work in regions already destabilized by conflict, where healthcare systems are fragile and resources scarce. Ramaphosa acknowledged their sacrifice and the difficult conditions they face. He also sounded an alarm about a secondary crisis that often accompanies disease outbreaks: the collapse of routine healthcare services. Maternal care, child immunization programs, and basic medical services can grind to a halt when health systems pivot entirely toward emergency response. In his capacity as Chair of the Global Leaders Network for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, he insisted that women, children, and adolescents cannot be left behind as the region fights Ebola.

The response so far has drawn praise. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, led by Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya, has rapidly mobilized support and coordinated efforts with the WHO. Neighboring countries have strengthened their own preparedness measures and enhanced cross-border disease surveillance. The infrastructure being deployed—disease surveillance systems, laboratory testing networks, contact tracing operations, infection prevention protocols, and risk communication campaigns—builds on systems that were successfully used during the mpox outbreak. But Ramaphosa made clear that this response, however coordinated, is only the beginning.

What the outbreaks truly expose is a deeper vulnerability: Africa's public health systems remain underfunded and under-resourced. Ramaphosa called for sustained, long-term investment in national public health institutes, emergency operations centres, laboratory and genomic surveillance networks, and trained healthcare workers. These are not luxuries or nice-to-haves. They are the difference between containing an outbreak and watching it metastasize across a continent. He urged African Union member states and international partners to translate solidarity into concrete action—timely financial support, technical assistance, medical countermeasures, and direct aid to affected communities.

Yet Ramaphosa's message was not one of despair. He expressed confidence that Africa possesses the experience, institutions, and expertise to contain these outbreaks if countries act collectively and decisively. The Africa CDC exists. The continental incident management systems exist. The relationships between governments and international health partners exist. What is required now, he said, is urgency, unity, and the will to act. The people of the DRC, Uganda, and the wider region must not face this threat alone. In the coming weeks, African and international health agencies will be watching closely to see whether that unity materializes, and whether the coordination that has begun can hold as cases potentially spread across borders that no amount of political will can fully seal.