President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an immediate “humanitarian” ceasefire in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is currently in the grip of an Ebola crisis.
Speaking at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban on Monday, Ramaphosa said health workers needed safe and secure humanitarian access to the area so that they could reach every member of the affected community. He said SADC stood in solidarity with the DRC and its people.
According to the World Health Organization, it is the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the DRC and is expanding faster than any previous Ebola outbreak. The WHO said as of 12 August 2026, there were a total of 4665 confirmed cases, including 2184 deaths reported in the DRC.
Ramaphosa said: “We call on all parties to respect health facilities, health workers and humanitarian operations. And we call on governments to avoid indiscriminate restrictions on travel and trade against affected countries.”
He added that the generalised ban on travel from countries that are affected by the epidemic was unfair and not supported by public health evidence.
“They damage economies, they disrupt livelihoods, and they drive movement through unmonitored border crossings, thereby making containment much more difficult.”
He also appealed to other African countries to strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, emergency coordination and critical preparedness, saying that the outbreak could easily spread and affect many other countries in the region.
“We must also ensure that financial pledges are translated urgently into resources on the ground. Protecting Africa from epidemics requires more than responding when outbreaks occur. It requires sustained investment in prevention, surveillance and resilience, health systems, research and the African production of vaccines, diagnostics and medicines.”
The African Union has appointed Ramaphosa as the champion for pandemic surveillance and response.
He said the outbreak was also a practical test of the region’s determination to build greater health sovereignty.
wendy.jdc@nationalmg.co.za