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8385th Security Council Meeting: Peace and Security in Africa
The Security Council today adopted a resolution condemning attacks by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their role in exacerbating the country’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, while demanding full, safe, immediate and unhindered access for the humanitarian and medical personnel working to save lives and prevent the virus from spreading across the region.
Adopting resolution 2439 (2018) by consensus, the Council reiterated its deep concern about the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s overall security and humanitarian situation, noting that both are exacerbated by the destabilizing activities of foreign and domestic armed groups. Recalling that the country’s Government bears the primary responsibility to protect civilians within its territory — including from crimes against humanity and war crimes — it expressed further concern about the security situation in areas affected by the recent Ebola outbreak and called for the immediate cessation of hostilities by all armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Condemning in the strongest terms all attacks by armed groups — including those posing serious security risks for responders and jeopardizing the response to the Ebola outbreak — the Council demanded that all parties fully respect international law and ensure full, safe, immediate and unhindered access for humanitarian and medical personnel, as well as their equipment, transport and supplies.
By other terms of the text, the Council stressed the need for the international community to remain engaged in the strengthening of national health systems in line with the needs of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, noting that such efforts are instrumental in preventing a deterioration of the present crisis or addressing a future recurrence. It also emphasized the need for the Government, along with all relevant actors, to enhance efforts to implement — and communicate to the public — the established safety and health protocols and preventive measures to mitigate misinformation and undue alarm about the transmission and extent of the outbreak.
In addition, the Council took note of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest risk assessment regarding regional spread, expressing concern about the potential for the virus to expand to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi. In that regard, it encouraged the Governments of those countries to continue efforts to prepare for operational readiness and emphasized the importance of maintaining flexible international support — financial, technical and in-kind — to bring the Ebola outbreak successfully under control.
Speaking following the adoption, Taye Atske Selassie (Ethiopia), one of the resolution’s two main co‑sponsors along with Sweden, noted that negotiations on the text were sparked by two recent briefings to the Council from the WHO Director‑General. Commending the leadership of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in responding to the Ebola outbreak, he declared: “Humanitarian actors are operating under enormous difficulties to save lives.” Today’s resolution underscores the need to address the security risks that are complicating those critical efforts even further. Welcoming concerted efforts by WHO and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), he said that while the former has decided that a “public health emergency of international concern” should not be declared at this time, officials remain deeply concerned and have called for intensified and ongoing vigilance.
Carl Skau (Sweden) said the text sends a clear message to all those involved in front‑line response efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries. Emphasizing that those working to save lives on the ground must never become targets themselves, he noted that the text commends the continued leadership of the WHO and other relevant actors and aims to remind all stakeholders of the importance of strengthening national health systems. In addition, it calls for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and accelerating funding to combat the outbreak. Noting that Sweden intends to provide additional funding to those efforts, he asked other Member States to consider doing the same, emphasizing that the Democratic Republic of the Congo stands at a pivotal moment in its history.
The meeting began at 10 a.m. and ended at 10:10 a.m.
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