DR CONGO · HEALTH FUNDING
Key Facts
- —The country DR Congo is a central African nation where an Ebola outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain has run since May.
- —What happened On Wednesday 14 October, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said about US$700 million of Ebola funds paid out by donors has not been traced.
- —The numbers Donors say they paid out more than US$900 million, and about US$200 million has been traced, nearly US$100 million of it unspent.
- —The reply Health Minister Roger Samuel Kamba has threatened to strip the accreditation of aid groups that cannot show how they spent their funds.
- —The outbreak Journal de Kinshasa put the toll at 9,144 cases and 4,410 deaths on 15 October, with the east of the country hardest hit.
- —US link The US State Department says Washington has provided US$887 million for this Ebola response, and a CDC order still bars travellers from DR Congo.
- —Still open Kaseya has not said where the money sits, and no donor or aid group has answered in public.
Ebola funds worth about US$700 million have not been traced, the head of Africa CDC said in Kinshasa on Wednesday 14 October. Actualite.cd, Radio Okapi and Congo Quotidien, three Congolese news outlets, reported his remarks on Thursday 15 October.
Donors say they paid out more than US$900 million to the groups running the response, and about US$200 million has been traced. Washington says it has provided US$887 million to this response, though no report names any donor behind the missing money.
What Jean Kaseya Said in Kinshasa
Kaseya leads Africa CDC, the African Union’s public health agency, and has been in DR Congo since 13 October. He told a news conference that donors had sent him their Ebola funds figures through diplomatic notes.
Of the Ebola funds donors say they paid to implementing partners, the aid groups running the response, only about US$200 million has been traced. Nearly US$100 million of that has not yet been spent, he said.
That leaves about US$700 million still to find, money that in his words “exists”. He promised to press each partner for an account and said, “we will not let go”.
Why Tracing the Money Is Hard
The traced figure comes from a meeting convened by the National Institute of Public Health, known as INSP, with the health ministry’s technical lead. Fewer than 30% of the partners took part, and Radio Okapi reported that only those present declared amounts.
At a press briefing on 2 October, INSP director general Dieudonné Mwamba said only 25 of about 94 accredited partners had sent information, Actualite.cd reported. Those groups reported receiving US$226.3 million and spending US$127.4 million.
How Congo’s Government Is Responding
Health Minister Roger Samuel Kamba called the handling of Ebola funds a “flou artistique”, a French phrase for a deliberate-looking blur. He announced coercive measures against groups that cannot justify their funds, following an instruction from President Félix Tshisekedi.
Groups that fail to comply could lose their accreditation and face action by the immigration directorate, known as DGM. The government has written to the partners concerned, Actualite.cd reported.
Kamba said the first three-month response plan raised about US$227 million, of which nearly US$99 million was unused. He added that the state’s own US$50 million was spent transparently, according to a report sent to the prime minister.
Kamba also said the lack of visibility on partner funds complicates talks with the International Monetary Fund on budget support. The IMF lends to governments and often asks for proof that public money is tracked.
The Outbreak Behind the Money
The disease is Ebola of the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or treatment is approved. The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May.
Journal de Kinshasa, a Congolese news site, put the toll at 9,144 cases and 4,410 deaths on 15 October. Ituri province in the east is at the centre, and Radio Okapi reported no new case for 21 days in Tchomia, a locality in Ituri.
Radio Okapi also listed a further US$80 million from the World Bank for the response on 15 October. The World Bank is the global development lender that funds public health and infrastructure projects.
A G20 meeting in New York raised about US$2.6 billion in Ebola commitments in September, Kaseya said at the time. He asked that the money reach people in need directly and that its use be tracked.
What It Means for US Readers
The State Department, which took over US emergency aid after USAID closed in 2025, said on 23 September that it had provided US$887 million. Rio Times reported that total when the latest US$267 million was announced.
No report ties the United States to the untraced Ebola funds, and the donors behind them are not named. Taxpayers still have a stake, because a leaky response can let the outbreak run longer.
The CDC says anyone who has been in DR Congo within 21 days cannot board a commercial flight to the United States. US citizens are told to stay outside DR Congo for 21 days before entering, and the page was updated on 13 October.
What Is Not Known
Kaseya has not said which partners hold the missing Ebola funds or where they went. Outlets quote the donor total as US$926.66 million or US$962 million, so the gap of about US$700 million is rounded.
No donor, aid group or health agency has answered in public, and no investigation has been announced. Journal de Kinshasa stressed that the statements point to a tracing problem, not to embezzlement.
More: DR Congo news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Africa CDC?
Africa CDC is the African Union’s public health agency, based in Addis Ababa and led by Jean Kaseya. It coordinates Africa’s response to outbreaks such as Ebola.
How many Ebola funds are untraced in DR Congo?
Kaseya said about US$700 million of the Ebola funds donors say they paid out has not been traced. Donors report more than US$900 million, and about US$200 million has been traced.
Does untraced money mean it was stolen?
No report says so, and Kaseya says the Ebola funds exist. Journal de Kinshasa stressed that the statements show a tracing problem, not embezzlement.
Which outbreak is the money for?
It is for the Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, centred on Ituri province. No vaccine or treatment is approved for this strain.
Can Americans travel to DR Congo?
The CDC bars anyone who has been in DR Congo within 21 days from boarding commercial flights to the United States. US citizens should stay outside DR Congo for 21 days before entering.
Sources: Actualite.cd (French), opaque management of response funds, 15 October 2026; Radio Okapi (French), Africa CDC demands accounts, 15 October 2026; Congo Quotidien (French), 700 million not traced, 15 October 2026; Journal de Kinshasa (French), 700 million missing, 15 October 2026; US CDC, Ebola situation summary and entry restrictions, 13 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief