Tue Jan 28 16:15:33 UTC 2025: ## Red Cross Warns of Ebola Risk Amid Fighting in Goma, DR Congo

**Geneva, January 29, 2025** – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has issued a stark warning about the potential release of deadly pathogens, including Ebola, from a laboratory in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), due to ongoing fighting. The ICRC’s regional director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, expressed grave concern over the risk of power outages at the national biomedical research institute’s laboratory, which houses samples of Ebola and other dangerous viruses. He stressed the “unimaginable consequences” of these samples spreading.

The city of Goma, located in the mineral-rich eastern DRC, has become a battleground since the Tutsi-led M23 armed group and Rwandan forces entered on Sunday, following weeks of advances. This escalation has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, adding to the already substantial number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the city. The UN refugee agency reported that half a million people have been displaced from their homes in the region since the beginning of the year.

The ICRC has also highlighted the devastating humanitarian impact of the renewed conflict. Over 600 wounded individuals, nearly half of them civilians, have been treated at ICRC-supported facilities since the start of January. Many of the wounded are women and children, suffering injuries from gunshots and explosives. The ICRC reported overwhelming numbers of wounded seeking help, with limited resources available in overwhelmed hospitals.

The ICRC’s appeal underscores the urgent need for a cessation of hostilities to prevent a potential public health catastrophe in addition to the already dire humanitarian crisis in Goma and the surrounding region. The situation further highlights the complex interplay of armed conflict, displacement, and potential disease outbreaks in the volatile eastern DRC.

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