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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) raised an urgent alarm Tuesday, January 28, 2025 regarding the escalating conflict in Goma, a key city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ICRC’s concern centers on the potential risk of dangerous pathogens, including Ebola, being released from a laboratory amid fierce fighting in the region.
Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa, emphasized the growing threat posed by power outages at the National Biomedical Research Institute’s laboratory, which holds critical samples of Ebola and other pathogens. Youssef cautioned that the ongoing clashes in Goma, particularly the recent violence involving the Tutsi-led M23 armed group and Rwandan forces, could lead to catastrophic consequences if the laboratory’s contents were to escape. “We are extremely concerned about the safety of the samples in this laboratory, which is dangerously close to the heart of the conflict,” Youssef said in a press briefing in Geneva. “If these pathogens were to spread, the results could be unimaginable.”
The National Biomedical Research Institute’s laboratory, located near the ICRC’s own delegation office in Goma, faces a precarious situation. Though Youssef had no information on other research facilities in the city, the vulnerability of the lab in question has prompted grave concerns. The potential release of Ebola viruses or other pathogens could exacerbate the public health crisis already unfolding in the region.
In addition to the threat posed by the laboratory, the ICRC is deeply concerned about the human toll the ongoing conflict is taking on civilians. The organization reported a significant increase in the number of people wounded by gunfire and explosive devices. ICRC-supported medical facilities, including Goma’s CBCA Ndosho hospital, have been overwhelmed with casualties.
Since the start of January, more than 600 individuals, nearly half of whom are civilians, have been treated by the ICRC’s medical teams. Many of the wounded are women and children, suffering from bullet and shrapnel wounds. Myriam Favier, head of the ICRC’s sub-delegation in Goma, described the dire conditions at local hospitals. “Patients are arriving in critical condition, and some are lying on the floor due to lack of space,” she said. “The wounded are being transported by motorbike, bus, or with the help of Congolese Red Cross volunteers.”
ICRC officials have also reported receiving distress calls from people who are left helpless and stranded in the midst of the fighting. “Many are unable to access medical care and are left to fend for themselves,” said Francois Moreillon, head of the ICRC’s DRC delegation. The humanitarian organization’s staff is working tirelessly to provide aid, but the scale of the crisis continues to grow.
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