WHO is still there: the evacuation of Russians from the Central African Republic is being prepared due to the Ebola outbreak

Emergency evacuation schemes for Russians from the Central African Republic are being worked out at the Russian Embassy in that country, the head of the diplomatic mission, Alexander Bikantov, told Izvestia. This possibility is being considered in case of the spread of the epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, the outbreak of which is recorded in neighboring DR Congo. The United States and Canada have already imposed restrictions on the entry of citizens of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, despite the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) opposed the closure of borders. The fight against the disease and its localization is complicated by the internal conflict in the DR Congo, with attacks on doctors and treatment centers. Meanwhile, Russia is ready to send brigades to the region to combat the epidemic, Russian diplomats told Izvestia.

The evacuation of Russians from the Central African Republic is being prepared

In Africa, a new outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever has already killed about 260 people. Of these, 18 deaths have been officially confirmed as a result of the virus. The rest are classified by WHO as suspected deaths due to Ebola. The outbreak is caused by a rare strain against which there are no approved vaccines. Doctors can only use supportive care.

On May 22, WHO assigned the outbreak in DR Congo a very high risk level at the national level and a high risk level at the regional level. The situation forces the countries of the region to prepare for the possible spread of a dangerous disease. The authorities are strengthening epidemiological control, as well as working out actions in case the situation worsens.

Russian diplomats are also preparing for negative scenarios.

—The Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic is constantly developing and clarifying mechanisms and lists for the emergency evacuation of Russian citizens in case of an emergency, including options for suspending flights between the Central African Republic and Russia," said Alexander Bikantov, head of the Russian diplomatic mission, in an interview with Izvestia.

The Russian community in the Central African Republic numbers up to 200 people. A larger diaspora lives in neighboring Kenya — about 500 people. Russian diplomats there are also ready to take emergency measures.

"In the event of a change in the sanitary and epidemiological situation and the adoption by the competent authorities of the Russian Federation of appropriate decisions regarding Russian citizens in the country, the embassy will carry out the measures provided for in such situations," the Russian diplomatic mission in Kenya noted.

At the same time, the Russian embassies in Tanzania, Rwanda and Angola noted that the introduction of such measures is not yet being considered.

"We are guided by the assessment of the situation by the Rwandan authorities, who consider the measures taken so far to prevent the infection from entering the country to be sufficient," the Russian Embassy in that country said. — At the moment, we do not see any grounds for changing the operating mode, and even more so for preparing the evacuation of fellow citizens.

Rwanda has a much tougher set of measures against the virus than in the Central African Republic and Kenya. In addition to sanitary control, the authorities banned entry to foreigners who had been in DR Congo for a month, placed their citizens in mandatory quarantine after visiting the country, and closed crossings at the border. But the main thing is that the republic was proactive. Since 2018, Rwanda has deployed sanitary control at the border, trained doctors, prepared isolation wards and conducted exercises. Thanks to this, the new flash did not require building a system from scratch.

But the risk of Ebola spreading to other countries neighboring DR Congo is higher. The border services are unable to control the flow of people. The UN and other specialized agencies point to a shortage of staff at checkpoints. In addition, some people cross the border bypassing official checkpoints. Moreover, the incubation period of fever lasts up to 21 days, which means that a person can cross the border even before it becomes obvious that he is sick.

Earlier, the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) published a list of 10 countries at high risk of spreading Ebola. In addition to the Central African Republic and Kenya, it includes Angola, Burundi, Zambia, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The latter is on the "first line" of danger, since its borders are in the immediate vicinity of the outbreak sites.

The United States and Canada have already imposed entry restrictions on citizens of DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan and people who have visited these countries. The WHO condemned these measures. The organization stressed that such bans are dictated by the fear of the spread of the epidemic, as was the case with the coronavirus, but there are no real recommendations from health organizations for closing borders now.

What kind of assistance do African countries receive?

At the same time, the United States announced the allocation of an additional $80 million to combat the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda. The total amount of American aid since the beginning of the current outbreak has reached approximately $112 million. Washington has also announced the creation of up to 50 Ebola treatment centers. Canada has allocated $8 million to strengthen surveillance, as well as infection prevention, sanitation and medical care.

Russia is also able to help African countries in countering the spread of the virus, said Vsevolod Sviridov, an expert at the HSE Center for African Studies. According to him, the Russian Federation has experience of such interaction with the states of the region. For example, in recent years, Russia has been developing cooperation with Uganda in the field of biosafety, personnel training, and medical equipment supplies.

In addition, in May 2026, in response to a request from the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Russia promptly sent a group of leading virologists and epidemiologists to the country. Rapid diagnostic points capable of processing up to 2,000 PCR tests per day have been deployed on the basis of previously transferred Russian mobile laboratories. Russian specialists have also completed emergency retraining of local doctors, forming rapid response teams at key checkpoints along the border with the DRC.

In DR Congo (the epicenter of the outbreak), the situation is complicated by armed conflicts in the provinces of Ituri and Kivu. Due to the high security risks, specialists from the Russian Federation are not sent there physically, and assistance is of a remote and logistical nature. The Russian CPR system is also operating in the republic, and domestic virologists have conducted a series of emergency online trainings for Congolese doctors.

Russia is ready to assist in containing the infection in South Sudan, the Russian Embassy in the republic told Izvestia.

"The official authorities of South Sudan have not yet contacted us with a request to send Russian anti—epidemic teams to contain Ebola due to the lack of confirmed cases of infection with this fever," the diplomats noted. —But if such a signal is received, we will be ready to work on it as soon as possible with our colleagues in Moscow to promptly assist our South Sudanese partners.

Causes of the spread of the virus in DR Congo

Restrictions imposed by the United States and Canada on the movement of people who have traveled to DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan may interfere with humanitarian and medical assistance. For example, several large Christian organizations from Western countries are already operating in the epicenter of the epidemic and neighboring countries. Sanctions have a negative impact on staff rotation. It is more difficult for teams to arrive, conduct field visits, training, medical examinations, monitor projects, and quickly change people on the ground. As a result, missionary assistance may seriously decrease and become the work of the most motivated altruists.

In addition, restrictions on air travel from the United States and Canada can cause a chain reaction and hit the economies of Uganda and Rwanda. Such measures, even without completely closing borders, usually lead to travel cancellations, disruption of business contacts and additional costs for logistics and control, which is especially sensitive for countries that rely on international transportation and external relations.

The main focus of Ebola is DR Congo. Since 1976 alone, 17 outbreaks of this infection have been recorded in the country. At the same time, DR Congo is one of the most unstable countries in the region. There are more than 100 armed groups operating there that regularly attack populated areas and government facilities. As a result, doctors and epidemiologists often simply cannot safely enter the areas of infection.

In recent years, the internal conflict in the country has escalated. Rich deposits of natural resources (cobalt, gold, copper, tin) only add fuel to the fire. As a result, the country becomes an arena of constant struggle for influence and control over resources.

Another serious problem is the distrust of the population. For many residents of eastern DR Congo, Ebola is not the first threat: people have lived for decades in conditions of conflict, poverty and a weak state presence. Therefore, part of the population perceived the visiting doctors as outsiders. As a result, some families hid their sick relatives.

The history of the fight against Ebola shows that the decisive role is played not so much by the virus itself as by the ability of the state to respond promptly to the threat. Success depends not only on the availability of vaccines, doctors and laboratories. The safety of medical staff and the ability to work in areas of infection are equally important. Armed conflicts, mass population displacement and limited medical access remain among the main risk factors, while countries that have prepared a response system in advance have a better chance of preventing the spread of the virus.