BUNIA, D.R.C.: At least 30 people have died since early May in a camp for displaced civilians in northeastern Congo. Camp officials said this number of deaths is unusually high and could mean Ebola is spreading quickly.

The exact cause of death could not be confirmed because people in Kigonze camp in Bunia—the center of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo—refused to allow testing of both the sick and the dead until June 18, according to a camp spokesperson and the aid group Caritas.

However, those who died showed symptoms like headaches, fever, and vomiting, which are linked to Ebola, according to camp officials, aid workers, and local leaders.

"People didn't die like this before," said camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi.

Kigonze camp has more than 15,000 people, and the deaths have raised fears that Ebola may be spreading unnoticed among the region's over five million displaced people. The situation is made worse by poor sanitation and resistance to testing.

Camp leader Dz'djo Ndrutsi Etienne said 10 people were buried in just one week. Normally, the camp sees only one to three deaths a month.

Justin Zanamuzi from Caritas said his team saw several bodies, including a pregnant woman and children. Video footage showed health workers in protective suits disinfecting bodies and preparing small coffins while people mourned.

Aid workers tried to convince families to allow doctors to examine the bodies, but they refused.

The Ebola outbreak was officially declared on May 15, though deaths had started earlier. Samples have now been taken from five victims, and results are awaited. Cholera, which has similar symptoms but spreads differently, is also a possible cause.

One resident, Kato Lonu, lost two children, including a baby. He said conditions in the camp are terrible, and people are dying one after another.

Aid workers said the rise in deaths shows how vulnerable people are to diseases like Ebola, especially after cuts in funding for water, hygiene, and sanitation. These services are important because Ebola spreads through bodily fluids.

UN data shows funding for sanitation in Congo dropped by more than half between 2024 and 2025, to about US$38 million, and only a small part of this year's funding goal has been met.

Congo has hundreds of camps for people fleeing war, some holding up to 100,000 people. Ebola deaths have also been reported in another camp in Ituri province, which has most of the nearly 900 confirmed cases.

In Kigonze, large families live in crowded tents very close together, and children walk barefoot in dirty pathways. There are not enough toilets, and many overflow, forcing people to empty them by hand.

The United States has been a major supporter of sanitation efforts in Congo, providing over $60 million in 2024. However, recent funding cuts have reduced support, even though the U.S. has still committed over $375 million directly to the Ebola response.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department.