Mourners gathered on Wednesday in Butembo, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, to bury a local politician who his party said was beaten to death after he defended the government’s Ebola response on the radio.
The official, Marie-Celestin Karondwa, was attacked at his home in Butembo on Sunday and died of his injuries. The city, in North Kivu Province, is one of the hotspots of the current outbreak. Local reports identified Mr. Karondwa as a senior member of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party.
Photographs taken in the city before the funeral showed Mr. Karondwa’s burned home. Among the mourners was his daughter, Sagesse Kavira, according to images distributed by The Associated Press.
The killing follows a series of attacks on health workers and other responders as the country battles what officials describe as its 17th and deadliest Ebola outbreak. It has recorded more than 8,000 cases, including nearly 4,000 deaths.