KINSHASA, DR Congo — More than $700 million disbursed by international donors for the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains unaccounted for, according to Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Speaking at a press conference in Kinshasa on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Kaseya demanded that beneficiary organizations provide full accountability for the funds they have received.
The Missing Millions
According to figures presented by Kaseya, international donors have disbursed a total of $962.66 million to implementing partners involved in the Ebola response. However, a verification exercise conducted with the DRC’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP) was able to trace only slightly more than $200 million to on-the-ground structures.
This leaves a gap of approximately $700 million unaccounted for.
“The donors have sent us precise elements showing that $962 million was disbursed to the implementing partners,” Kaseya said. “During the meeting organized to trace these funds, less than 30% of the partners participated. Among them, we could only trace a little over $200 million. It was also indicated that about $100 million exists and has never been used. This means that these funds are still held by certain partners”.
A Verification Meeting Largely Ignored
Kaseya explained that the INSP organized a meeting to trace the funds, but fewer than 30% of the accredited partners attended. Among those who did participate, only around $200 million could be traced. Of that amount, approximately $100 million was reported as existing but never used.
“I’m talking about the difference between the $900 million and the $200 million that the partners have declared,” Kaseya stated. “That makes $700 million to be traced, and which exists”.
“We Will Not Let Go”
The Africa CDC chief vowed to pursue the matter relentlessly. “This is the fight we will lead and I can tell you, we will not let go,” he declared.
Kaseya emphasized that the figures are not arbitrary but are based on documentation provided by donors themselves. “We have our channel of communication with the donors: there are verbal notes. All the figures we provide, we have the basis for them. These are not figures taken at random, but they were sent to us by the donors,” he said.
He also noted that the INSP had previously reported that out of approximately 94 partners accredited by the DRC for the Ebola response, only 25 had provided information on the funds received and their use.
Government Response
The DRC’s Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare, Roger Samuel Kamba, had previously announced coercive measures against organizations that fail to justify the funds received, following what he described as a “cloud of uncertainty” surrounding the aid.
A Deadly Outbreak
The 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, was declared on May 15, 2026. It is the deadliest ever recorded in the country and the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide, after the 2014-2016 West African epidemic.
As of October 12, the DRC had recorded 9,144 confirmed cases, including 4,410 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 48.2%.
While Kaseya noted that the outbreak curve has shown early signs of decline over the past two weeks, with the epicenter gradually shifting from Ituri Province toward North Kivu Province, he stressed that significant gaps remain in disease surveillance and contact tracing.
International pledges to support the Ebola response have reached **$3.045 billion**, up from $1.656 billion in June, but only 31.6% of the total pledged has been disbursed.
The Africa CDC’s demand for accountability underscores growing concerns about financial transparency in one of the world’s most critical public health emergencies.
