Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO – Report:

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The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Uganda’s response to an Ebola outbreak that has spread from neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while warning that continued vigilance and cross-border cooperation will be critical to stopping transmission.

The outbreak, confirmed in both the DRC and Uganda in May, is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine. Health officials say the response is taking place in a challenging environment marked by humanitarian pressures, insecurity and significant cross-border movement. 

Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases and one probable case to date, with infections largely linked to transmission from the DRC.  

Encouraging signs 

Despite the challenges, a senior WHO official who spent the past three weeks in the country expressed confidence that the outbreak can be contained.  

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director for the Health Emergencies Programme, pointed to encouraging signs, including strong community cooperation, newly opened laboratories and the recovery and discharge of some patients. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Uganda last as part of a regional mission to assess outbreak control efforts and support the response. 

Following his visit, Tedros said Uganda had mounted a robust response, highlighting the country’s surveillance, testing and case management systems, which have enabled authorities to identify and manage cases rapidly. 

‘Preparedness saves lives’ 

Tedros also praised the quality of care being provided at the Ebola Treatment Unit at Mulago Hospital’s isolation facility. 

The unit was commissioned within six hours of the outbreak being declared and is staffed by members of Uganda’s Emergency Medical Team (EMT), a 146-member group established and trained in 2023 with support from WHO and the European Union. 

According to WHO, the team was deployed within two hours of the outbreak declaration. 

“The unit and the staff that we see here are because of preparedness,” said Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Representative in Uganda, affirming that “preparedness saves lives”. 

Call for continued vigilance 

Tedros stressed that the risk of further transmission remains and that vigilance must stay high. 

He underscored the need for sustained cooperation between Uganda and the DRC, noting that no country can control the outbreak alone and that stopping transmission at its source is essential to reducing the risk of wider regional spread. 

The WHO chief also highlighted the importance of community engagement, particularly in border areas where communities span both countries.  

Public health officials warn that outbreaks become harder to contain when people are reluctant to report symptoms, participate in contact tracing or follow health guidance. 

Opposition to travel bans 

Tedros reiterated WHO’s position that travel bans are not an effective tool for controlling Ebola outbreaks and called on countries to reconsider them. 

“Travel bans are not helpful in controlling Ebola outbreaks and can negatively affect the movement of essential supplies, response teams and commodities needed to support control efforts,” he said. 

Learning from experience

The current outbreak is Uganda’s ninth experience with Ebola. WHO said lessons from previous outbreaks have helped strengthen the country’s surveillance systems, laboratory networks and emergency medical teams. 

Leonard Zulu, the UN Resident Coordinator for Uganda, said the UN system was working closely with national authorities under WHO’s technical leadership. 

“We are advancing a unified and coordinated response to strengthen preparedness, protect vulnerable communities and support national efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak,” he said. 

– on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO – Report:

Raj-Alexandre and Raïs Bouka reached the summit at 7 AM on the 23rd of May. The two Malagasy brothers stood together at 8,848.86 metres on the summit of Mount Everest, the first Malagasy ever to do so, and raised their country’s flag high against the Himalayan wind. Their achievement is a landmark for Madagascar and for Africa, forged over years of preparation, two Everest expeditions, and one year of patience.

Raj-Alexandre also shattered continental age records to become became the youngest African male to summit Everest and the youngest African ever to summit Everest-Lhotse back-to-back in the same season. A feat only d achieved one by a few hundred people worldwide.

The summit is never guaranteed. In 2025, the Bouka brothers came agonisingly close, turning back just 250 metres from the summit, defeated by frostbite and deteriorating conditions, and a lack of sufficient oxygen to reach the top. That failure became fuel.  

This year, led again by their father, visionary entrepreneur and mountaineer Zouzar Bouka, they came back with one goal: to finish what they started.  

They faced everything Everest could throw at them: bone-deep cold, unstable ice in the notorious Khumbu Icefall, and the shadow of tragedy that hung over this season’s expeditions, during which several climbers lost their lives.  

Every year, many people die on Everest. There have been at least 350 recorded deaths since the 1950s, on a mountain that is climbed during a season lasting just one month. The Bouka family trained, planned, and climbed with this knowledge. Before they set off on their summit push, five individuals had already died in the preceding two weeks. Then, just before reaching the summit, they encountered two more deceased climbers; one who had died less than 24 hours earlier, and another whose body had remained there for more than a decade.

“It was scary, very scary. You’re on the Hilary ridge, and it’s steep and dangerous. You must always be on high alert and stay clipped in. You just have to ignore it best as you can, but their head and hair and ears and everything else is visible, even the person who was there for many years.” Rais Bouka

Zouzar did not reach the summit but climbed higher than he did in 2025, reaching Camp 3 (approximately 7,200 metres) before making the decision to turn back for health and safety reasons. While reaching Camp 4 was considered possible, a decision had to be made because, had he required assistance at that altitude, the entire Sherpa team, including those supporting his sons, would have been needed to carry out a rescue. At such extreme elevations, rescue operations require multiple people, and helicopter evacuations are not possible.

Zouzar’s leadership anchored the expedition from start to finish.“ I am immensely proud of my sons,” said Zouzar Bouka. “Their courage and perseverance have carried our flag higher than ever before. Everest demands humility and perseverance — last year taught us that. This year, we returned united as a family, carrying our love for Madagascar with us every step of the way. Meritocracy, meritocracy, meritocracy!”  

From Base Camp, Raïs Bouka said: “To stand with my brother on the summit was a dream I’m happy we fulfilled, and it’s an honour to bring the Malagasy flag to the top. I’m very grateful to my Dad; the whole thing was his idea. My brother and I did not believe this was possible, and we were more concerned with our other priorities. He convinced us and knew that it was possible for us, and he was right. This taught me a valuable lesson about how meaningless it is to fear failure.” I did not want to publicise our journey or have it documented on social media for fear of failure.”

Raj-Alexandre Bouka added, “Everest demands everything from you. Every step tested our limits, but we climbed as brothers and as Malagasy. We hope our journey proves that with resilience and heart, the impossible can become possible.”  

The Bouka family’s mountaineering journey began in 2021 on Pic Boby, Madagascar’s highest accessible peak. Since then, they have climbed on all seven continents, each summit building the experience, fitness, and mental resilience that Everest required.  

Their achievement is more than a sporting record. It is a message to Madagascar, to Africa, and to anyone who has been told their dream is out of reach: bold goals are worth pursuing, no matter the altitude. 

– on behalf of Vision Madagascar NGO.

Source: APO – Report:

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• One month after the Ebola disease outbreak was declared in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MSF warns that the outbreak is outpacing response efforts.

• Gaps persist in surveillance, diagnosis, contact tracing and community engagement.

• The authorities, along with all stakeholders, must do everything possible to enable a response that matches the scale of the crisis.

One month after the Ebola disease outbreak was declared in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that despite the recent scale-up in the response, major gaps in surveillance, diagnosis, contact tracing and community engagement continue to undermine efforts to bring the outbreak under control. A response that is proportionate to the scale of the outbreak is urgently needed.

“One month on, the Ebola disease outbreak is outpacing the response effort,” says Kate White, emergency medical coordinator for MSF in DRC. “No one knows the true scale or exactly where the disease is spreading in DRC. What we do know is that most treatment centres in Ituri province are overwhelmed; many of our patients arrive at a late stage of the disease, and the majority were never identified or monitored as contacts before seeking care.”

The disease is spreading across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC, with Ituri accounting for nearly 95 per cent of the cases. The response, led by the Congolese Ministry of Health and supported by several international partners, is being put in place in the affected areas. Unfortunately, insecurity makes reaching certain communities difficult, and even in more stable areas, efforts to detect cases, test patients, identify contacts, and monitor transmission are insufficient. In neighbouring Uganda, 19 confirmed cases have also been reported by the health authorities.

Congolese health authorities have officially reported more than 650 confirmed cases and over 130 deaths. However, MSF warns that these figures likely represent only part of the picture.

“Testing remains one of the most significant weaknesses in the response, despite recent improvements in laboratory capacity and the arrival of hundreds of mobile test kits in eastern DRC, designed specifically for the Bundibugyo virus,” says White. “Many communities, especially those affected by ongoing insecurity, still have limited access to these kits, while treatment centres continue to face significant delays in receiving laboratory results.”

“Without faster and more widely available testing, we will struggle to detect cases early enough to contain the outbreak,” says White.

In areas where the outbreak is unfolding, millions of people have already been living with decades of active conflict, repeated displacement, chronic gaps in healthcare, and a limited humanitarian response. These conditions severely hamper response efforts and create an environment in which the disease can spread more easily.

In Ituri, where MSF has been present for decades, we have observed fear and mistrust among communities, with some being wary of the sudden arrival of Ebola response teams.

“Setting up activities and explaining the disease is not enough to build community trust — people’s concerns need to be listened to, and communities should help shape the response,” says Frederic Lai Manantsoa, emergency coordinator for MSF in DRC.

For many communities, the outbreak is just one of several health emergencies that have been inadequately addressed for years. Maintaining access to routine healthcare is just as important as controlling the outbreak itself to save lives.

“Pregnant women still need maternal care, children still need vaccinations, and patients still need treatment for malaria and cholera,” says White. “Maintaining access to routine healthcare also helps support Ebola disease surveillance among communities.”

Although the number of confirmed cases reported in North Kivu and South Kivu is relatively low, they face many of the same challenges around surveillance and testing. In North Kivu, there is only one laboratory to test blood samples, and they take several days to process. Since there is no automated system for sending them to healthcare facilities, it can sometimes take almost a week to get results.

Alongside direct patient care, MSF is also sending teams to more remote and insecure areas to strengthen detection and response capacity where alerts have been reported.

“This outbreak can still be brought under control, but the window for action is narrowing,” says Lai Manantsoa. “Diagnostics, surveillance, access to care, and community engagement must be urgently strengthened. We urge authorities, and all stakeholders involved in the response, to do everything possible to facilitate the movement of health workers and supplies, and enable a response that matches the scale of this crisis.” 

– on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Source: APO – Report:

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On 15 June 2026, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus, Yury Nikalaichyk, met with the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Auxillia Mnangagwa. 

In a warm and trustful atmosphere, the parties exchanged views on the progress of implementing the humanitarian part of the agreements at the highest level and the Roadmap for strategic cooperation and partnership until 2030.

The First Lady of Zimbabwe conveyed her gratitude to the President of the Republic of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, for his personal attention to the development of the full scope of cooperation between the two countries. 

Auxillia Mnangagwa highly commended the level of bilateral relations achieved, including as a result of her visits to Belarus, and noted her interest in further results-oriented work.

The sides emphasised the importance of further cooperation in key areas, including children’s education and rehabilitation, healthcare, medical science, protection of mothers and children, the supply of medicines, dairy and meat-based baby food, interaction between women’s organisations of the two countries, and cultural exchanges, including with regard to the potential participation of representatives from Zimbabwe in the 35th international art festival ‘Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk’. Specific steps were outlined to support the implementation of the agreements in these areas. 

During the meeting, Yury Nikalaichyk handed over the original of the message of the President of the Republic of Belarus addressed to the First Lady and a copy of the congratulatory message addressed to the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, on the occasion of the Republic of Zimbabwe’s election to the UN Security Council for 2027–2028. 

– on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.