DRC - Minutes of the Ad Hoc Meeting on the Ebola Response - Bunia, July 2, 2026

Content

1. Update on Humanitarian Access (OCHA)

• OCHA has mapped humanitarian access constraints in the various territories of North Kivu (Rutshuru, Walikale, Masisi, Nyiragongo, Beni, Lubero, and Goma), Ituri, and South Kivu. 
• Restrictions on the movement of humanitarian workers between Goma and Gisenyi (Rubavu) have been eased since the first week of July.
• No major restrictions have been reported at ports of entry into the DRC via Ituri or from Uganda.
• Humanitarian actors are encouraged to contact the Accès-OCHA forum for further details or guidance prior to their deployment in the field, in order to ensure their safe movement: Joel KIHIMBA (joel.kihimba@un.org/ +243 814437788) & Cedric Petit (petit1@un.org/+243 817 096 802) for North and South Kivu; 

2. Epidemiological Update (COUSP-INSP)

• As of June 30, 2026, three (3) provinces are affected: Ituri, with 24 of 36 health zones affected; North Kivu, with 11 of 34 zones affected; and South Kivu, with one zone affected. 73 new confirmed cases reported today. 
• Overall: 1,406 confirmed cases, 438 deaths (a case fatality rate of 31.2%), 609 patients in isolation, and 208 recoveries (including 19 on June 30).
• A new health zone has been affected in Ituri: the Lolwa Health Zone.
• Proposal to set up an additional Ebola treatment center near the displacement sites in Bunia to relieve pressure on the centers that are beginning to become overwhelmed.
• The COUSP has appealed to all partners for support for the Nia Nia Health Zone, a border area with Haut-Uele Province that currently has no supporting partners except for the IOM.

3. UNHAS Updates

• UNHAS has announced the opening of new destinations in Ituri (Fataki, Tchomia, Kasenyi, Komanda) to support the Ebola response.
• Safety and security assessments are underway for the possible addition of Butembo (North Kivu) as a UNHAS destination served by the Caravan. 
• UNHAS notes that two (2) helicopters (each with a cargo capacity of 2.5 MT) are based in Bunia to facilitate the free transport of humanitarian cargo and personnel from Bunia to operational sites in Ebola-affected health zones in Ituri.
• UNHAS notes the possibility of covering the Beni-Bunia and Bunia-Aru routes based on requests from humanitarian actors.
• UNHAS reports that it has an aircraft stationed in Kinshasa for Kinshasa-Bunia rotations, Monday through Friday, as part of the Ebola response.
• The C-130 aircraft chartered by WFP Logistics has resumed operations as of June 30, transporting humanitarian cargo by air between Entebbe and Bunia, exclusively as part of the Ebola response. From June 9 to 30, the aircraft transported 125,500 kg of cargo.
• Ebola flight statistics from May 16 to June 30: 328 flights operated, carrying 2,187 passengers and 217,499 kg of cargo, as part of the Ebola response, over 112 days.
• UNHAS reminds the public that its weekly flight schedule (regular rotations) is available via the link: DRC - UNHAS - Weekly Flight Schedule | LCT.

CONTACTS FOR UNHAS RESERVATIONS

• Online booking portal: UN Booking HUB.
• Contact addresses for ad hoc or last-minute requests (before 12:00 PM): medard.mulamba@wfp.org; charles.byamungu@wfp.org; helene.kandanda@wfp.org;
• Late requests (after 4:30 p.m.) should be sent to: sylvain.kapaya@wfp.org and jeanchrist.tshimanga@wfp.org, with Nicholas.mogire@wfp.org copied in.
• Ebola operations cargo in Bunia: slyvain.kapaya@wfp.org, elbechir.fall@wfp.org, jeanchrist.tshimanga@wfp.org; nicholas.mogire@wfp.org.

4. Updates from the Logistics and Telecommunications (LTC) Cluster

• Free warehousing and transportation services continue to be provided to humanitarian partners involved in the Ebola response. The ConOps and SOPs documents explain in detail how these services work and how to access them.
• All requests must be submitted by filling out the service request form available on the RITA platform. 

Bunia Hub

• A third warehouse is nearing completion in Bunia and will be operational by mid-July to increase storage capacity, given the volume of requests from partners. Several mobile storage units (MSUs) are also on standby in case they are needed.
• 100 m³ of medicines have been received at the warehouses in Bunia, and 38 m³ of medicines and supplies have been dispatched from Bunia to response sites in Ituri.
• A second helicopter (donated by the Airbus Foundation) arrived in Bunia on June 24 to bolster the transport of Ebola supplies and equipment from Bunia to other affected areas.

Entebbe Hub (Uganda)

• The C-130 aircraft based in Entebbe has resumed operations: 9 metric tons were transported on July 1, 2026, for the NGO MSF, and two flights are scheduled for July 2 on the Entebbe-Bunia route.
• About ten trucks loaded with Ebola response supplies and dispatched from Entebbe are waiting at the boundary with Ituri for clearing to be completed. Steps are being taken by the LTC to facilitate the process as part of the Ebola response.

5. Updates from Partners

WHO

The WHO presentation focused on a unified system for tracking pipelines and inventories, featuring verified data, traceable distributions, and direct delivery to final distribution points.

• Tracking of inventories and orders for health supplies for the Ebola response using data management tools (dashboard + collaborative monitoring platform).
• Major challenges encountered.
• Proposals for key measures to improve the supply chain for health supplies.
• For more details on this presentation, contact: DELAITRE, Antoine (delaitrea@who.int).

HULO

• Two airlifts (100 MT each) were organized by the European Union on June 17 and 29, 2026, respectively, facilitating the transport of shipments of medical supplies from several NGOs from Europe to Entebbe.

LOGISTICS CLUSTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLUSTER 

• The LCT coordination team reminds partners that the beneficiary partner is responsible for handling during free warehousing and transportation services.

Miscellaneous

• Updates, document sharing, and alerts are available on the page: 2026 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in the DRC | LTC 

The next coordination meeting of the Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster for the eastern region of the DRC (Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu) will be held on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (local time).

Contacts