Attacks on Ebola health facilities are intensifying in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the World Health Organization warns the outbreak could worsen in the DRC and Uganda

On Thursday, the Rwampara health centre was stormed by a group of angry residents demanding the bodies of relatives who had died from Ebola, according to local sources. The incident was also confirmed by partners of the Congolese government involved in the response in the area.

A day later, a tent provided by Doctors Without Borders, also known by its acronym MSF, at a hospital in Mongbwalu in Ituri province was set on fire.

“Following the death of a patient showing symptoms of Ebola virus disease in one of the tents, healthcare staff isolated the body in line with strict health protocols,” the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

It said that while the body was being prepared for burial, tensions flared, resulting in the burning of two tents.

“Despite this incident, the teams were also able to secure the body of the deceased patient in preparation for a dignified and safe burial, in accordance with Ebola response standards,” ALIMA added.

Health workers in Ebola-hit areas of the eastern DRC have repeatedly faced resistance from communities over strict burial protocols, which require specialised handling of bodies to prevent further transmission of the virus. Aid agencies said the tensions are often driven by fear, rumours and mistrust of medical teams.

“Some people here believe that Ebola is a business,” said Gloire Idriss, a resident of Rwampara who witnessed the scene. “When healthcare providers refuse to hand over the bodies of those who have died from Ebola, people think they might be trafficking their organs.”

The Congolese health minister has said the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious and must be handled only by trained teams in protective gear.

“Let us bury the deceased safely,” Roger Kamba told Radio France Internationale. “The dead must not take others with them into the grave.”

In the eastern DRC, it is customary for relatives and neighbours to gather at the home of the deceased to pay their last respects, and some mourners touch the body as a final act of farewell.

“When my daughter died of Ebola last month, the medical team came to bury her. We didn’t get to say our final goodbyes. It still upsets me that I had to watch her funeral helplessly without our cultural rites,” said Lokana Jean, a 40-year-old resident of Mongbwalu. Name changed for privacy reasons.

“Under normal circumstances, I would have held her close and felt her final warmth,” he told Al Jazeera.

As of Saturday, nearly 180 people had died from the disease and close to 800 cases had been recorded, according to the Congolese Ministry of Public Health.

Authorities in Ituri have introduced measures to try to slow transmission, including limits on public gatherings, suspension of wake services and a ban on moving bodies between locations.

Rodriguez Kisando, a doctor specialising in health and the environment, said violence targeting Ebola treatment facilities is being driven by rumours and misinformation.

“When an epidemic breaks out, rumours spread quickly. If accurate information is not shared fast, people will believe anything, and that is when violence takes hold,” he told Al Jazeera.

He warned that attacks on treatment centres along with patients fleeing before completing care could speed up the spread of the disease.

“As long as there are scenes of violence and sick people escape from Ebola treatment centres before they are cured, the disease will continue spreading. This is extremely serious,” he said.

Amid a sharp decline in international aid, Congolese authorities said the national treasury is covering a large share of the response, and shortages are becoming more visible.

ALIMA said resources for detecting, treating and preventing Ebola remain severely inadequate and called for more international support.

A senior Congolese official involved in the response in Rwampara, speaking on condition of anonymity, said treatment centres were overwhelmed.

“We are receiving new confirmed cases almost every day. The resources we have are not enough for the scale of the outbreak,” he said.

Authorities in Ituri and North Kivu are urging residents to wash their hands regularly, keep their distance from the sick, cook food thoroughly, avoid self-medication and trust response teams.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has placed 10 African countries on high alert: South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, the Republic of Congo, Burundi, Angola, the Central African Republic and Zambia.

The DRC, Uganda and South Sudan have agreed to strengthen cross-border coordination, including surveillance, early warning systems, border monitoring and improved laboratory and response capacity.

[Aljazeera]

Oil prices have fallen sharply amid tentative hopes for a deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

Brent crude, the primary benchmark for global oil prices, fell about 5 percent on Sunday as US President Donald Trump gave mixed signals on the prospects for a permanent end to the conflict.

Brent futures for July stood at $98.47 a barrel as of 01:05 GMT, down about 9 percent from a month ago but still up by more than a third compared with before the start of the war.

Japan’s benchmark stock index, the Nikkei 225, surged more than 3 percent in morning trading, hitting an all-time high after closing at a record peak on Friday.

Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that negotiations with Tehran were proceeding in an “orderly and constructive manner”, but he had instructed officials “not to rush into a deal”.

“Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump’s remarks came after he raised hopes for a breakthrough on Saturday by announcing that a deal had been “largely negotiated,” with the terms including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Fundamentally, there is no change to the underlying picture, where 10-11 million barrels per day of crude oil continue to be shut-in for every day the Strait of Hormuz remains shut,” June Goh, a senior oil market analyst at Sparta in Singapore, told Al Jazeera.

“However, markets are expecting a gush of 100 million barrels of crude oil from the stranded ships to flow out once the deal is in place.”

Goh said markets are likely to remain on edge for some time after any deal is finalised.

“Sparta estimates still about three to six months required to get everything back to status quo, including time to bring production and refineries back online,” Goh said.

Iran has effectively blockaded the strait since the start of the war in late February, disrupting about one-fifth of the global oil trade.

The US has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports since mid-April, further disrupting commercial shipping in the waterway.

In his Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said the US blockade would remain “in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed”.

[Aljazeera]

Chasing the fourth playoffs spot, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) entered their match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Eden Gardens hoping Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium. In that case, KKR would have needed to chase down their target in about 12 overs to pip Punjab Kings on net run rate and finish in the top four. But with Mumbai losing, both PBKS and KKR were knocked out, reducing this match to a dead rubber as early as the fourth over of the first innings.

In the end, KKR lost this game as well. After DC rode on KL Rahul’s 30-ball 60 to post 203 for 5, KKR were 126 for 3 after 13 overs. Kuldeep Yadav then dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Rinku Singh off successive deliveries to derail them. Eventually, KKR were all out for 163 in 18.4 overs.