India and the African Union have decided to postpone the India-Africa Summit originally set for next week in New Delhi, citing "the evolving public health situation in some parts of Africa." India's Ministry of External Affairs made the announcement on Thursday as health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo struggle to contain a growing Ebola outbreak.
A joint statement from both sides emphasized that the decision was made to "ensure the full participation of African leaders" and "in consideration of the emerging health emergency."
On the same day, a spokesperson for the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group confirmed the first Ebola case in South Kivu province, an area under the group's control. Ebola is a dangerous disease that has claimed over 15,000 lives in Africa over the past half-century. The World Health Organization has declared the current outbreak a global health emergency.
Efforts to contain the epidemic face severe hurdles due to the prolonged conflict in eastern DR Congo, particularly between government forces and the M23. This marks the first time an armed group has had to contend with a major pandemic like Ebola. The M23 has pledged to cooperate with international partners to control the outbreak, but the situation is complicated by the virus appearing in densely populated areas in the country's east.
The new case was detected in a rural area near Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, which fell under M23 control in February 2025. The M23 spokesperson confirmed that the patient was a 28-year-old man from Kisangani, a major city in Tshopo province, where no Ebola infections had been reported in this outbreak. "The person died before the diagnostic result was available," the spokesperson added. Congolese authorities have not yet commented on the information.
According to the World Health Organization, the 17th Ebola outbreak in DR Congo—the most populous country in Central Africa with over 100 million people—has seen 600 suspected cases, 139 suspected deaths, and two confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda. First responders report shortages of basic supplies, a situation attributed to cuts in foreign aid by major donors, particularly the United States.
