TOPIC

/ location

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Kinshasa

Head of State

President Félix Tshisekedi

Head of Government

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa

A wildfire burns amid high temperatures in Colombia on Sunday. Photo: AFP

United Nations

Burning questions: world leaders meet at UN amid climate, war and AI worries

As we face ‘three existential threats,’ says the UN chief, ‘international cooperation is more necessary than ever’.

21 Sep 2026 - 9:54PM

Africa

At least 22 dead, several injured, in fire at DR Congo wedding reception

6 Sep 2026 - 4:49AM

China-Africa relations

Truce in DR Congo offers US mining foothold while Chinese firms dominate output

28 Aug 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Vietnam

Wax-sealed secrets: Vietnamese gangs keep ivory trade alive after China’s ban

A 1.2-tonne seizure reveals how transnational syndicates bypass bans to move poached tusks from Africa to Asia.

22 Aug 2026 - 11:00AM

Policemen inspect a log that was used to conceal 1.2 tonnes of trafficked ivory at Quy Nhon port in Vietnam on August 12. Photo: VNA via AP

Africa

WHO chief warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak ‘far from being under control’

The DR Congo says the outbreak has killed more than 2,300 people out of nearly 5,000 cases so far, making it the deadliest in the country’s history.

18 Aug 2026 - 11:45PM

Africa

Congo’s Ebola outbreak started months before it was declared, says WHO

Some cases early on were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid ‘so we are chasing the virus, it is ahead of us’.

11 Aug 2026 - 4:45AM

Africa

DR Congo tests over 300 passengers after suspected Ebola death on boat

The river vessel was intercepted in Maluku, about 65km from the capital Kinshasa, so those on board could be screened.

7 Aug 2026 - 2:30AM

A volunteer uses a megaphone to make announcements while intercepting a passenger boat near Kinshasa, DR Congo, in an image released on Wednesday. Photo: International Organization For Migration via Reuters

China-Africa relations

How China’s US$900 million port deal in Angola shows its lead on US interests

As Washington eyes the nation’s critical minerals and invests in a strategic rail project, Beijing leads in strengthening its supply chain.

4 Aug 2026 - 5:53PMvideocam

Africa

Ebola cases in DR Congo top 3,200, nearing record of country’s worst outbreak

Official data shows 1,437 patients have died out of the 3,262 cases so far. The 2018-2020 outbreak had more than 3,400 reported cases.

28 Jul 2026 - 8:25PM

China-Africa relations

Opinion | With rapid Ebola aid, China shows itself a reliable partner of Africa

Public health now sits beside trade, infrastructure and digital connectivity as a core part of Africa-China ties.

28 Jul 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

A healthcare worker takes samples from a patient suffering from Ebola in Bunia, Ituri, in the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 23. Photo: AFP

Africa

‘Super’ El Nino: Africa facing mass migration, US$20 billion in damages

A UN report estimated that by 2035 developing countries ‌will collectively need around US$365 billion each year to tackle climate change.

26 Jul 2026 - 5:02PMvideocam

A shepherd watches livestock near Khi Solar One, a solar thermal plant that converts the sun’s light energy into electricity, outside Upington, South Africa, in Northern Cape province, August 29 last year. Photo: AP

Africa

First person vaccinated – in UK – in Ebola jab trial amid DRC outbreak

The first dose of the rapidly developed vaccine was administered to Ed Hunt, a 37-year-old volunteer, said Britain’s Oxford University.

24 Jul 2026 - 11:16PM

Africa

DR Congo Ebola death toll passes 1,000 in fastest outbreak on record

With no approved vaccine or treatment, the rare strain is spreading faster than health teams can track.

23 Jul 2026 - 11:48AM

Photography

The human faces of China’s belt and road strategy, through Liu Heung-shing’s lens

The Pulitzer-winning Hong Kong photojournalist trades megaproject metrics for intimate portraits of how China’s new Silk Road is rewiring everyday lives.

16 Jul 2026 - 2:10PM

Engineers at the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Liu Heung-shing

Germany

German hospital treats US Ebola patient infected in DR Congo

The hospital said there was no risk to the ‌public or other patients, as the individual is being treated in complete isolation.

13 Jul 2026 - 5:07PM

Exterior view of the main entrance of the University Hospital in Frankfurt. The ‌patient arrived at the hospital’s special isolation unit at around 3am local time after contracting the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus in DR Congo. Photo: dpa via AP

Africa

Ebola outbreak is ‘fastest growing ever’ as 600 die in DR Congo

The number of cases is doubling every 28 days, health authorities say, warning that the virus is moving faster than the response.

10 Jul 2026 - 12:41PM

Africa

‘End this very dangerous disease’: Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo

The launch of two experimental treatments, in collaboration with the WHO and other international health groups, brings a glimmer of hope.

5 Jul 2026 - 4:59PM

Ebola virus

Person in UK tests negative for Ebola amid rising cases in Africa

The central African outbreak has killed over 360 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

1 Jul 2026 - 5:47PM

A health worker and displaced people wait for the burial of suspected Ebola victims in Bunia in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Reuters

China-Africa relations

Can China’s strict policing model ‘silence the guns’ in Africa?

As Beijing partners with the UN and the African Union to train officials on small arms control, analysts question its impact.

26 Jun 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

France

Ebola virus confirmed by France in doctor who worked in DR Congo

The medic had been on a humanitarian mission to a virus transmission zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

25 Jun 2026 - 8:31AM

US-China trade war

Why the US remains ‘fragmented’ in a critical copper clash against China

Washington’s efforts to rebuild the domestic copper industry are colliding with Chinese dominance in a metal central to advanced tech and defence systems.

24 Jun 2026 - 10:22AMvideocam

Africa

At least 30 deaths at DR Congo camp show Ebola could be spreading fast

All the victims had symptoms including headaches, fever and vomiting, which are associated with Ebola.

20 Jun 2026 - 6:21PM

Displaced people watch a health worker in full personal protective equipment preparing to disinfect the area during the burial of Ebola victims at the Kigonze camp on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

United States

World Cup puts Ebola outbreak and pandemic lessons to the test

Experts say slow responses, aid cuts and misinformation expose gaps in global health defences despite Covid lessons.

19 Jun 2026 - 5:51AM

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Mpox in Hong Kong: what to know about the virus and sauna-linked outbreak

The SCMP sheds light on the situation in the city and globally, including how to prevent infection.

10 Jun 2026 - 6:18PM

Ebola virus

Asia on Ebola alert: could the virus slip through regional defences?

While the risk of Ebola reaching Asia is low, experts urge governments to prioritise early detection over border controls.

10 Jun 2026 - 11:30AM

A health worker dries gumboots and gloves under the sun at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on Monday, amid the Ebola outbreak. Photo: AFP

Africa

WHO chief visits Ebola-hit Uganda after virus spreads from DRC

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also recently visited the DRC, which has seen 515 confirmed infections, including 91 deaths, the UN says.

8 Jun 2026 - 7:32PM

Members of a Congolese Red Cross team place the coffin of a woman suspected of having died from Ebola on a truck ahead of her burial at her home in Bunia. Photo: AFP

Africa

DR Congo’s health workers fight Ebola with little pay and rest as crisis worsens

Active community transmission spikes as the WHO scrambles to fund a US$518 million containment plan.

8 Jun 2026 - 9:54AM

China-Africa relations

Chinese team arrives in DR Congo to help fight Ebola, ‘filling US void’

Specialists begin three-month frontline mission to contain outbreak across mining region dense with Beijing-backed mineral investments.

7 Jun 2026 - 2:31PMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Burning questions: world leaders meet at UN amid climate, war and AI worries

As we face ‘three existential threats,’ says the UN chief, ‘international cooperation is more necessary than ever’.

At least 22 dead, several injured, in fire at DR Congo wedding reception

Truce in DR Congo offers US mining foothold while Chinese firms dominate output

Wax-sealed secrets: Vietnamese gangs keep ivory trade alive after China’s ban

A 1.2-tonne seizure reveals how transnational syndicates bypass bans to move poached tusks from Africa to Asia.

WHO chief warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak ‘far from being under control’

The DR Congo says the outbreak has killed more than 2,300 people out of nearly 5,000 cases so far, making it the deadliest in the country’s history.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak started months before it was declared, says WHO

Some cases early on were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid ‘so we are chasing the virus, it is ahead of us’.

DR Congo tests over 300 passengers after suspected Ebola death on boat

The river vessel was intercepted in Maluku, about 65km from the capital Kinshasa, so those on board could be screened.

How China’s US$900 million port deal in Angola shows its lead on US interests

As Washington eyes the nation’s critical minerals and invests in a strategic rail project, Beijing leads in strengthening its supply chain.

Ebola cases in DR Congo top 3,200, nearing record of country’s worst outbreak

Official data shows 1,437 patients have died out of the 3,262 cases so far. The 2018-2020 outbreak had more than 3,400 reported cases.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | With rapid Ebola aid, China shows itself a reliable partner of Africa

Public health now sits beside trade, infrastructure and digital connectivity as a core part of Africa-China ties.

‘Super’ El Nino: Africa facing mass migration, US$20 billion in damages

A UN report estimated that by 2035 developing countries ‌will collectively need around US$365 billion each year to tackle climate change.

First person vaccinated – in UK – in Ebola jab trial amid DRC outbreak

The first dose of the rapidly developed vaccine was administered to Ed Hunt, a 37-year-old volunteer, said Britain’s Oxford University.

DR Congo Ebola death toll passes 1,000 in fastest outbreak on record

With no approved vaccine or treatment, the rare strain is spreading faster than health teams can track.

The human faces of China’s belt and road strategy, through Liu Heung-shing’s lens

The Pulitzer-winning Hong Kong photojournalist trades megaproject metrics for intimate portraits of how China’s new Silk Road is rewiring everyday lives.

German hospital treats US Ebola patient infected in DR Congo

The hospital said there was no risk to the ‌public or other patients, as the individual is being treated in complete isolation.

Ebola outbreak is ‘fastest growing ever’ as 600 die in DR Congo

The number of cases is doubling every 28 days, health authorities say, warning that the virus is moving faster than the response.

‘End this very dangerous disease’: Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo

The launch of two experimental treatments, in collaboration with the WHO and other international health groups, brings a glimmer of hope.

Person in UK tests negative for Ebola amid rising cases in Africa

The central African outbreak has killed over 360 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

Can China’s strict policing model ‘silence the guns’ in Africa?

As Beijing partners with the UN and the African Union to train officials on small arms control, analysts question its impact.

Ebola virus confirmed by France in doctor who worked in DR Congo

The medic had been on a humanitarian mission to a virus transmission zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why the US remains ‘fragmented’ in a critical copper clash against China

Washington’s efforts to rebuild the domestic copper industry are colliding with Chinese dominance in a metal central to advanced tech and defence systems.

At least 30 deaths at DR Congo camp show Ebola could be spreading fast

All the victims had symptoms including headaches, fever and vomiting, which are associated with Ebola.

World Cup puts Ebola outbreak and pandemic lessons to the test

Experts say slow responses, aid cuts and misinformation expose gaps in global health defences despite Covid lessons.

Mpox in Hong Kong: what to know about the virus and sauna-linked outbreak

The SCMP sheds light on the situation in the city and globally, including how to prevent infection.

Asia on Ebola alert: could the virus slip through regional defences?

While the risk of Ebola reaching Asia is low, experts urge governments to prioritise early detection over border controls.

WHO chief visits Ebola-hit Uganda after virus spreads from DRC

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also recently visited the DRC, which has seen 515 confirmed infections, including 91 deaths, the UN says.

DR Congo’s health workers fight Ebola with little pay and rest as crisis worsens

Active community transmission spikes as the WHO scrambles to fund a US$518 million containment plan.

Chinese team arrives in DR Congo to help fight Ebola, ‘filling US void’

Specialists begin three-month frontline mission to contain outbreak across mining region dense with Beijing-backed mineral investments.

Opinion | With rapid Ebola aid, China shows itself a reliable partner of Africa