France will increase its support for efforts to eradicate Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Saturday, warning that the virus could quickly return if vigilance weakens.
Barrot made a rare visit by a senior Western official to Bunia in northeastern Congo, a region affected by outbreaks of infectious disease. A laboratory-confirmed case of mpox was reported there in mid-September.
France provided €13.4 million ($15.1 million) toward Ebola response efforts between January and July, supporting humanitarian assistance, medical research and the PRISM programme launched during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Congo in 2023.
Barrot said he would seek additional humanitarian funding for Ebola during upcoming French budget discussions.
“Ebola may seem far away to some people or political leaders, but it can return very quickly. Our responsibility is to prevent those resurgences,” Barrot told reporters in Bunia.
France is also due to host a national humanitarian conference in Paris on October 6, where Ebola response efforts are expected to be discussed.
Barrot praised Congolese authorities, UN agencies, humanitarian organisations and medical workers for containing the outbreak and preventing it from spreading to major urban centres in Congo or neighbouring countries.
Asked about concerns over international spread following a reported Ebola case in France, Barrot said there was no reason for panic.
“There is no need to fear or worry. First and foremost, we must fight the epidemic where it emerges,” he said.
