The Ministry of Transport announced on Saturday that “no aircraft will be allowed to land at or take off from Bunia Airport until further notice,” effectively suspending all commercial, private, and special passenger flights to and from the city.
Officials, however, said the shutdown is not absolute. Humanitarian, medical, and emergency flights may still operate, but only with prior authorization from both aviation and health authorities.
The measure comes days after the government officially declared an Ebola outbreak in Ituri on May 15, with Bunia identified as one of the primary hotspots.
Outbreak spreads beyond initial epicentre
What began in Ituri has now extended into neighboring North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, raising fears of wider regional transmission. Uganda, which shares a porous border with the affected area, has also confirmed infections linked to the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the situation is deteriorating. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the outbreak as “deeply worrisome,” noting that 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths have been recorded so far.
But global health officials believe those figures may only represent part of the picture.
“The actual scale of the outbreak is believed to be significantly larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths,” Tedros said in a social media post. He added that “these numbers are changing as surveillance efforts and laboratory testing improve, but violence and insecurity are impeding the response.”
The reference to insecurity highlights a long-standing challenge in eastern DRC, where armed conflict and limited access have repeatedly slowed disease surveillance and emergency response operations.
Regional concern grows as Uganda reports new infections
Across the border, Uganda’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that three additional Ebola cases had been detected, bringing the country’s total confirmed infections to five.
Health officials in Kampala have stepped up monitoring and contact tracing in border districts, given the high risk of cross-border transmission linked to trade and population movement between Uganda and eastern DRC.
Emergency response under pressure
Aid agencies and health responders are now working in a rapidly tightening window, as movement restrictions, insecurity, and rising case numbers complicate containment efforts.
While the flight suspension in Bunia is aimed at limiting spread, it also signals growing concern that the outbreak may expand further unless transmission chains are broken quickly through vaccination, isolation, and improved surveillance.
For now, authorities say the restrictions will remain in place “until further notice,” with no timeline given for reopening the airport to passenger traffic.