United Nations, June 18 (IANS) Violent armed groups, some briefly detaining aid workers, are obstructing the Ebola response in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that five response workers were briefly detained on Tuesday by armed groups in Ituri province, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, accounting for more than 90 percent of all confirmed cases.

The office said that in South Kivu province, access remains heavily restricted in several areas as fighting continues to force civilians to flee. Nearly 20,000 people were forced from their homes on Monday, following clashes in Mwenga and Shabunda territories. Displaced families need food, shelter, health care, safe drinking water and protection.

OCHA said that in Fizi territory, humanitarian access also remains under pressure, as repeated interference by armed groups continues to threaten aid delivery and the safety of humanitarian workers.

In South Kivu alone, between January and May, at least 57 incidents directly affecting humanitarians were recorded, including threats against staff, interference in aid delivery, and movement restrictions, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Despite these immense challenges, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to support national authorities in containing the outbreak and deliver assistance,” OCHA said. “However, humanitarian personnel cannot operate safely without security guarantees.”

The UN reiterates its call on all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe, rapid and unhindered access to those in need.

Ebola disease first occurred in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks: one outbreak was of Sudan virus disease in Nzara in what is now South Sudan, and the other outbreak was of Ebola virus disease in Yambuku, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

–IANS

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