DRC-Uganda: Cholera prompts evacuation of Lake Albert island
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have ordered the partial evacuation of a disputed island in Lake Albert, where health workers are unable to tackle a cholera outbreak partly because of security concerns linked to the discovery of oil.
“We have just ordered the section head and police on the ground to evacuate children and the elderly” from Rukwanzi island, which lies on a poorly-defined border separating DRC and Uganda, said Dieudonne Rwabona, acting district commissioner in DRC's northeastern region of Ituri.
Since 5 October police on the island have reported 57 cases of cholera and three fatalities.
