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Bulengera
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Nation / PlaceCD

Bulengera

One of the four communes of Butembo city in North Kivu, DR Congo.

Bulengera, a commune of Butembo in North Kivu, suffered its third clinic arson attack of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak by early September 2026, as the epidemic's centre shifted to Butembo.

Last refreshed: 4 October 2026

Timeline for Bulengera

#14 23 Sept

Mentioned in: UDPS official beaten to death in Butembo

Pandemics and Biosecurity
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Background

Bulengera has become a flashpoint for hostility to DR Congo's Ebola response. By early September 2026 the commune had suffered three arson attacks on clinics, and its civil-society president, John Paluku Kameta, called them "nearly recurring". In his account, talk of unconfirmed cases and distrust of the response Teams set them off. Across Butembo, five health facilities burned between 26 July and 1 September 2026.

Bulengera is one of the four communes of Butembo, a trading city in North Kivu Province; the others are Kimemi, Mususa and Vulamba. The Bundibugyo outbreak has shifted south from Ituri to the Butembo area. The city also led local resistance to the Ebola Teams of 2018-2020.

Violence in the city has gone beyond clinics. On 27 September the city lost Marie-Célestin Karondwa, the UDPS party's acting Butembo president and a voice for Ebola prevention on local radio, WHO died after an assault at his home. Each burned clinic removes a place where a Bulengera resident can be tested close to home.

Key Issues
Ebola violence

Bulengera lost a third clinic to arson

By early September 2026 Bulengera had seen three of its clinics set on fire during the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, according to its civil-society president, John Paluku Kameta. The attacks belonged to a wider run of fires in Butembo, where five health facilities went up in flames between 26 July and 1 September.

The fires hit Bulengera as Butembo became the centre of the outbreak's southward move in September 2026. On 27 September the city's acting UDPS president, Marie-Célestin Karondwa, WHO had promoted Ebola prevention on local radio, died after an assault at his home. Bulengera's residents also carry the memory of 2018-2020, when Butembo led resistance to Ebola Teams, and every lost clinic pushes testing further from the commune.

Common Questions
Where is Bulengera in DR Congo?
Bulengera is one of the four communes of Butembo, a trading city in North Kivu Province. The others are Kimemi, Mususa and Vulamba.Source: Wikipedia
Why are clinics being burned in Butembo?
Bulengera's civil-society president, John Paluku Kameta, told Congo Quotidien the arson follows rumours about unconfirmed Ebola cases and suspicion that health officials collude with response Teams.Source: Congo Quotidien
How many health facilities burned in Butembo during the Ebola outbreak?
Five health facilities in Butembo burned between 26 July and 1 September 2026, Congo Quotidien reported.Source: Congo Quotidien
Source Material
Butembo